Under My Skin
by RvrSong
Summary: Bella is in love with her best friend, Edward. Edward is in a complicated & unhappy, relationship with Jessica. Edward & Bella have sex on occasion & she knows it needs to stop. Enter the mysterious Jacob Black who sweeps her off her feet. Will his entrance be enough to make Edward realize the REAL love of his life was in front of him all these years? Language&Lemons, B
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my newest story.  
As always... I don't own the originals, but these dramatic fools are all mine.  
***Just a "warning"... There is cheating in this first chapter only. Just wanted you to be aware... If you don't mind it or if you do, now you know.***  
Thanks for reading.  
**

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**Chapter 1 - ****Under my Skin**

_**You got my heart on a string  
You want me back again and you know I'll do anything  
Just when I thought I was free, Knock, knock, the door is locked  
But you still got a key  
All too familiar, the moment it shows up  
Now everything I know seems to fly**_

_**My oh my**_  
_**You're getting under my skin**_  
_**Don't know why I'm always letting you in**_  
_**Just when I got my life together again,**_  
_**Here you are standing there**_  
_**Tell me why I should try,**_  
_**My oh my**_

_**You got me under a spell**_  
_**You look like heaven, oh, but you put me through hell**_  
_**God knows there's nothing to gain**_  
_**Well who am I to deny, we're both playing the same game**_  
_**All too familiar, the moment it blows up**_  
_**Now everything I know seems to fly**_

_**My oh my**_  
_**You're getting under my skin**_  
_**Don't know why I'm always letting you in**_  
_**Just when I got my life together again,**_  
_**Here you are standing there**_  
_**Tell me why I should try,**_  
_**My oh my**_

_**And I know that you're no good for me**_  
_**And it makes no sense at all**_  
_**Still I keep coming back for more**_  
_**'Cause I'm addicted to your call**_

_**I know you ain't no good for me**_  
_**And all the lies and the lines you fed to me**_  
_**The way you kept coming back for me**_  
_**Like the last breath left of the air I need**_

_**My oh my**_  
_**You're getting under my skin**_  
_**Don't know why I'm always letting you in**_  
_**Just when I got my life together again,**_  
_**Here you are standing there**_  
_**Tell me why I should try,**_  
_**My oh my**_

_**"My oh My" by Tristan Prettyman**_

XOXOXOXOX

I groaned as I rolled over to grab my phone.

The melody of Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl" startled me awake. It was him. I knew it before I answered the phone. Not just because of the ringtone, the one he'd set to play when he called me. He thought it was appropriate since he'd always said I was his brown-eyed girl. But I also knew it because he had told me earlier today that he was going out with Jasper to the club. He and Jessica had had another fight and, this time, he'd thought it was really over.

Maybe this time it was.

_Denial is the land I live in…_

And, as always, when they've had a particularly bad fight, one in which he thinks will bring the relationship to its end, he goes to the club and I get "The Call".

The drunken "I Need You" call.

I'm pathetic, I know I am. But I can't find it in me to deny him.

To deny myself.

So, of course, I answer the phone.

"Edward, its' two-thirty in the fucking morning, why are you calling me?" I feigned irritation. I knew why he was calling, but I played stupid. Secretly, I had been hoping one day he would say something else, something more…

"'Cause I need you, need to bury myself in you, Bells. Can I come over?"

… Yup… something more than that.

Damn it to fucking hell.

Sighing, I replied, "Yes. The porch light is on. But keep it down, Rose and Emmett are sleeping."

Emmett had been working the night and weekend shifts. He's an EMT. Rose is a PA at a pediatrician's office, so she has normal working hours. They've been like two ships passing. This was Em's first weekend off in forever. They'd gone out to dinner followed by loud - and what I assumed was passionate - sex downstairs, until they fell quiet about a half hour ago.

They own a two-story home in Seattle, and I rent the upstairs floor. I have my own staircase on the outside of the house so I don't have to use the one that runs down into the middle of their home. It gives us all privacy. I use the smaller of the two rooms as a bedroom, the queen-sized mattress and simple headboard fit inside with about two feet of space between the sides and the wall.

The large common space where the rarely-used staircase to the main floor is located is big enough for a wingback chair, a small desk, and a book shelf. There is a larger room that I use as a living and dining room combo. It works for me. They charge me only four hundred a month, including utilities - plus I get to use their wireless internet. It was a sweet deal for me.

Have I mentioned that Emmett is Edward's older brother? Yeah. He is. And he didn't know I've sneaked his brother upstairs for booty calls on occasion. Life was messy.

I padded out of my small bedroom and into the bathroom. He would smell of beer and wouldn't care a thing about my sleep breath, but I couldn't bring myself to kiss anyone without having first brushed my teeth after waking. Even though I had half-expected this call from him, I had fallen asleep at midnight. It was a fitful sleep, thanks to my dear friends downstairs, but it was still long enough to have that shitty taste in my mouth.

I was really considering asking Em about soundproofing between his ceiling and my floor. Or maybe I would get him and Edward to help me put down a thick rug underneath my bed. It would help for when Rose and Em got together after a few weeks apart. They didn't have to worry about hearing anything from me, as I hadn't dated anyone seriously in months; even then, I never slept with them, effectively ending the relationship before it ever really got started. The only one I was having sex with was Edward, and he was usually not that loud, so his brother and wife hadn't yet picked up on our indiscretion.

I made my way into my small kitchen and over to the door, as I heard him ascending the stairs outside. He was singing some song that he must have picked up from the club. I still couldn't believe that Jasper dropped him off here, no questions asked. Certainly he had to know something was up, right?

As his heavy steps grew closer, my heart rate escalated from excitement. I was so screwed. I turned the knob and pulled the door open at the very same time he was turning the knob to step in. So when I pulled, he lost his balance, falling forward into me.

God, he smelled divine, even with the stench of beer on him. He smelled of woods and spice and … Edward. My stomach, and parts a little lower, fluttered at his touch. I hadn't been with him in many weeks, so being this close to him sent me reeling. I guess things had been good between him and Jessica lately, so he hadn't needed me beyond our normal best friend relationship. And I wasn't with anyone else either, pretty much, because no one else could compare to the man who was now chuckling in my arms. God, I was so messed up.

"Bells, you smell good, minty. Did you brush your teeth for me?" He looked up at me with those green eyes. Sure, they were red-rimmed, but were still beautiful. The crooked grin I've loved since I was a teenage girl was spread across his face, as he stood up and kicked the door behind him closed. "And is this how you always answer your door? In a skimpy tank top and panties?"

"Yes."

Actually, that was a lie. But since I was sure he would be here tonight, I had showered, shaved, and picked out my most sultry undergarments. I was in a white t-back tank top and a pair of white hipster panties. I had known he would love them.

"Hmmmmmm… I like it. I like you. You're my bestest friend, Bella. You're my brown -yed girl."

He had his hands on my hips as he whispered this into my right ear, nuzzling my hair. He had backed me into the fridge, and with nowhere for me to go, he ground his hips against me so I could feel how hard he was already.

His lips skimmed my neck and moved to my shoulder, nipping and licking his way there. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips as I threaded my fingers into his hair. He needed a haircut, it had gotten long. Longer than Jessica liked him to wear it, maybe that was a good sign? It meant he was defying her, right?

… And I was lying to myself thinking that they were over. But at that moment, I didn't care.

His right hand was on my shoulder as he attacked my neck, while his left hand crept down my back, around my hip, and between my legs. I parted them out of reflex. I wanted him so very, very badly.

"Bells, you're already so wet," he said into my ear. My body was reacting to his touch, giving away my desire for him. My mind knew this was wrong. But my heart - and my body - wanted him. I needed him and I would take any attention I could get from him, no matter how fucked up the situation was. He was here now, and that was all that mattered.

"For you, Eddie, I'm this way for you," I sighed, using my pet name for him, as he slipped his finger under the fabric and skimmed my sex. God, his fingers were magical. "Bells, I need you," he growled at me, his lips crashing into mine. His tongue thrust into my mouth, his right hand descending to massage my breast, as his finger snaked its way into me, gently moving in and out.

I grabbed his shirt, lifting it over his head. God, I loved his chest. Just enough muscle, he was toned and lean. I ran my fingers down from his shoulders to his chest and then to his abdomen. As I did so, he shuddered and leaned his head back, closing his eyes. I loved that I made him feel this way. I unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, lowering the zipper and slipping a hand in to feel his hardness. He moaned and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. He was right where I wanted him - well, almost. I wanted him inside me. He kicked off his shoes as I slid his jeans down his legs.

The kitchen was small; with a single step backward, he'd put his hands against the counter behind him. He leaned back while I slid his jeans and socks off in one motion, running my hands back up his thighs to his hips and grabbing the waistband of his navy blue boxer briefs. Jessica hated them; she liked him to wear only boxers. I'd told him that I liked how he looked in these years ago, that with his tight ass and firm thighs filling them out, he'd looked like an underwear model. He'd known that I liked them; he'd worn them for me, which meant he had planned to see me tonight. The realization of that made my stomach flutter some more.

I was, normally, a very rational person. I liked order; I was careful, calculating, and a planner. In fact, I tended to over-plan and I've always had my guard up. I wasn't a sex goddess or an easy lay, and most certainly wasn't a home-wrecking slut. But, for the man in front of me, I would be whatever he needed me to be. Best friend, confidante, sex toy. This was our safe place. We could be whatever we wanted to be here, together. We weren't "control freak" Bella or "controlled-by-the-rich-bitch-girlfriend" Edward.

We were just Bells and Eddie. Yes, I was pathetic.

I was still on the floor, kneeling in front of him, when I looked back up to his face, his eyes meeting mine.

_Damn._ Just that one look from him and my whole body felt as if it were on fire. A quiet voice inside me wondered if he ever looked at _her_ that way, but I pushed that thought to the back of my mind.

His eyes were hooded and full of lust, and he was panting as if he'd been running a marathon. A low moan escaped his lips as I slid his underwear past his hips, freeing him. He was gorgeous, both in clothes and, especially, out of them. I considered myself lucky to just be in the presence of this Adonis in front of me. I had him naked, his erection at eye-level, and I wanted nothing more than to take him into my mouth.

Before I could, he stopped me, pulling me up by the arm. "You appear to be grossly over-dressed, Bells," he said, his husky voice causing goose bumps to break out over my body.

I looked at him with what I hoped was desire, since I wasn't really practiced at the whole sex kitten thing. "Well, Eddie, then I suggest you do something about that."

"Damn, woman." And his lips were back on mine, breaking away only to pull my shirt over my head, before putting his tongue back into my mouth. He tasted of beer and cigarettes and Edward.

My Eddie.

He had both his hands on my hips and under my panties. He pushed them down past my thighs so I was now naked in front of him. He broke the kiss, looking at me, and said, "God, you are beautiful, Bells. Men should be worshiping at your feet. And you shaved…. bare, huh?" He ran his thumb across the top of my pelvic area, leaving goose bumps in his wake.

"Well, you know, I like to keep it up," I said with a shrug. I didn't really want to admit to him that the extra time I took grooming my lady parts tonight was in the hope that he would be the one to see it.

"I like it. She never does that, says it's a pain to keep up."

_Damn it, did he really have to mention Jessica now?_

"Eddie," I moaned, needing to get him back on track because we were too far along for him to stop now.

"I want you…" I moved closer so our chests were almost touching. I ran my hand down his hip to his now very hard cock, which was poking me in the belly, stroking it.

"I need you inside me."

He closed his eyes and moaned and I knew he was back in the moment with me. No more talk of Jessica, not now anyway.

His lips were back on mine, but with more aggression. He pushed me backwards, lifting me onto the kitchen counter. It looked like it would be kitchen sex tonight.

I made a mental note to clean the counters down tomorrow with bleach.

He had better access to my now-dripping sex with me up on the counter. He took my nipple into his mouth and began to suck and bite as he slipped two fingers inside me. I involuntarily thrusted my hips up at him; I loved it when his fingers were in me like this, as he knew my body about as well as I did. He pumped them in and out as I groaned, pulling on his hair, which made him bite my nipple a little harder. I let out a yelp and he laughed against my breast. Damn it, he knew what I liked. I was putty in his beautiful hands, and he knew it.

"Now, Eddie, I need you inside me now!"

We could play more later, if he was so inclined, but right now, I just needed him to fuck me. It had been too long.

He looked up at me, "You're impatient tonight… this morning… what time is it, anyway?" I looked over his shoulder at the clock on the stove, "Three-thirty."

I reached up to the penguin cookie jar on top of the fridge next to me, it wasn't a big stretch from my perch on the counter and, removing its head, I grabbed a condom. Condom begins with a 'C' and I stored them in the cookie jar, along with a few other places around the house. I believed in being prepared.

I ripped open the package, unrolling the rubber down over the head of his dick. I had learned years ago that he liked it when the woman took charge and did it. I would prefer not using condoms, since I had been on the pill for years. But, it was an unspoken rule between us, another way to keep a barrier between our secret life and the real world.

He ran the head of his cock around my entrance, gathering moisture to ease his way inside. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he grabbed my hips and, looking directly into my eyes - not moving them from mine - he pushed inside to the hilt.

God, he filled me beautifully. He pulled out almost all the way and then slammed back into me again. This is how it was going to be tonight, rough, and I loved it. My head fell back as I grabbed his shoulders, digging my nails into his skin, sickly hoping I would leave marks. He leaned in, taking my nipple back into his mouth, sucking harder than before, causing me to gasp and scream.

He slammed into me over and over, keeping up a solid pace that I knew would bring me to climax quickly. I slid my butt forward a little so he could go deeper and I felt the muscles in my abdomen tighten, I was so close.

"Bells, ahhhh, so good," he moaned. His eyes were closed and he was holding me closely as we both hit our orgasms at the same time.

While I knew it was the epitome of cheesy to say that the earth moved at that moment, it did. It moved and shifted and sucked me in, and I begged for it never end. Edward Anthony Cullen pulsed inside of me, embracing me, his body curled around mine, as if I were the only one for him.

Our breathing slowed and he kissed my forehead, pulling out and discarding the rubber in the kitchen trash. I remained in my spot on the counter, sweaty and spent, as he turned to me.

"Let's go to bed," he said, hoisting me over his shoulder with my butt in the air, as I laughed and squealed, smacking his fine ass.

As I was lying in my bed looking out the window, I heard him breathing, slow and deep breaths, and the occasional snore. He was wrapped around me and I wondered if Jessica ever let him wrap around her like this. Somehow I doubted it. She would probably complain that she was too hot or that he had morning breath.

I loved it, though.

I loved having his arms wrapped around me, we fit so well together.

.  
I loved feeling his warm breath on my neck, like the gentlest of caresses.

I loved listening to his snores and mumblings, they were the sweetest sounds on earth.

Yeah, I loved him, with all my heart and soul.

Damn it.

I was lying there in the dark, exposed physically and emotionally, the tears welling up in my eyes, when it hit me hard…

I was so very, very screwed.

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**A/N... OK, I feel the need to insert a comment here...  
This is and always will be a Bella and Edward story, but it does take a while for us to get there - so stick with me! Life is messy and things are never easy.  
She is not a doormat, she is a girl who loves a boy who needs to get his crap straight.**

**:D Now, with all of that said, I hope you enjoy my little story.  
Reviews are greatly appreciated ... but I like the favorites and the follows just as much.**


	2. Chapter 2

**As always... I am not the owner of these original characters.  
Also, I have no Beta, no PreReader, it's just me... so, please forgive any grammer & spelling errors... and I do my best to keep the story info consistant. But I do take some "liberties" as it is impossbile to research everything I need to at times...like job details, etc. :)  
OK, enough said...**

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**Under My Skin...Chapter 2**

When I opened my eyes, it was still early. I hadn't slept well since falling asleep somewhere around four, just tossing and turning. I felt like scum, but rationalized it away. Back and forth, it was like I had those warring cartoon figures on my shoulders… you know the ones? The angel on the one side telling me I'm a liar and a skank and that I really need to stop doing this and the devil on the other yelling back saying I'm justified for what I do and should just enjoy the moment. And so it goes.

I finally gave up and crawled out of bed around eight; showered, dressed, picked up our scattered clothes from the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. I had also made cinnamon rolls because, apparently, having my best friend in my bed made me feel domestic. Well, that and I knew he would be starving when he got up.  
That's me… The Ever Accommodating Bella.  
Edward wants sex? _Check.  
_Food? _Check.  
_A friend for life that will forever give him what he wants, no matter the personal cost? _Check, check and double fucking check._

I grabbed my laptop so I could check my emails and my work calendar for the next day; I worked for a publishing company and Mondays could be crazy, I liked to get ahead of the work day. What? I like to have my stuff in order. Sue me.  
I climbed back into bed, attempting to get comfortable since Edward had sprawled out in my absence, but I couldn't bring myself to make him move. I gently ran a finger across the furrowed lines on his forehead; he looked so serious in his sleep. I got myself somewhat comfortable, powered up the laptop and started sorting through emails. I could have done my work more comfortably at my small desk or on the couch in the living room, but honestly, I cherished these moments with him and wanted to stay in this bubble as long as I could.  
Soon enough he will awake and leave.  
What's that old Talking Heads song line? Oh yeah…. "Same as it ever was…"

As if on cue, Edward stirred next to me. He rolled over on his back and untangled himself from the sheets, squinting open one eye at me.  
"Morning. What time is it?" he asked as he rubbed his face with his hands and then stretched his arms above his head which flexed the muscles in his chest. I bit my bottom lip to stifle the whimpering groan that threatened to come out of me, cleared my throat and looked back down at the computer screen.  
"It's just past ten."  
"Mmmm… my head is killing me, got any aspirin?" He sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed, very obviously trying not to make eye contact.

_Welcome to the land of DeNile… Why yes, Edward, I keep it near my stash of condoms in the bathroom for when you need a quick fuck because your girlfriend is a cunt-bitch that treats you like shit…_

"Yeah, in the bathroom, same place as always. I washed your clothes. They smelled like smoke. They're on the back of the toilet if you want to shower."  
Did I forget to mention, I had done a small load of laundry when I got up as well?  
By small, I mean just Edward's stuff.  
Yes, I know, I'm pathetic. We've covered this.

"Bella," he had turned half way, so I could see his profile, but still refused to meet my eyes, "about last night…"  
"Edward, it's all good. I know what this is," I motioned between us, "it works for me, too. I don't want more, sex is just sex. It's great, no problem, ok?" I'm pretty sure I sounded a little too enthusiastic but I was trying to convince myself of my own words just as much as I was trying to convince him. He sighed running a hand through his hair, "I'm going to shower. Do I smell cinnamon rolls?"

_Yeah DeNile, such a nice place to visit, let's just move there._

"Yup, I figured you'd be hungry. And there's coffee." Cause I rock as a best friend; I put out and cook! **_Gah….  
_**"Cool. Thanks, Bella."  
And that was that, he was up and out of the bed and I got to watch his fine naked ass walk away from me.  
Again.

Some would probably consider me a masochist for doing this to myself. I liked to say I was an optimist. I was always hoping something would change. Glass half full girl, that's me.  
Or just stupid.  
Either way, I wasn't ready to give this up, not yet.

…..

Edward and I went back about ten years.  
I was born in Forks, Washington, left, then returned just before I turned sixteen. My parents had divorced when I was a toddler. They got married too soon, mostly cause my mom got knocked up by my dad. Shotgun weddings rarely work out. Need an example? Look at the Swan's. To hear the story, they were happy at first, but why wouldn't they be? They were both barley twenty and in love, the whole world ahead of them. Dad going to the police academy would secure him a job for life. At first, mom was happy to live in the small town of Forks while he worked there as a deputy. But she got restless. Having grown up in a big city, she was not cut out for the slow pace life of a town with less than four thousand people in it. By the time I was two and a half, mom had told dad that she couldn't live there anymore. They weren't in love any longer, the high of young love having faded a long time ago. So they figured there wasn't much to do but divorce.

Mom took me with her and we moved to Phoenix, Arizona. She had some long time friends that lived there and hired her to be an administrative assistant in their large real estate office. Soon after she met and started dating one of the agents in the office, Phil Dwyer. They married a couple of years later. Phil was, and still is, a great guy and they were very happy together. Life was pretty good for about ten years. But then, Mom got sick. Breast cancer. They found it late and it was very aggressive. When she passed, I moved back to Washington to be with my dad. I liked Phil, and my friends were in Arizona, but it didn't seem right, staying with him. Plus, I had never spent more than a few weeks a year with dad and thought it would be nice to get to know him.

Charlie was great, as dads went. He's quiet like me and, although he's the Chief of Police in Forks, he gave me a lot of freedom. He probably figured that if I tried to get away with anything, he would find out. He had spies all over the damned town. I kept my grades up and stayed out of trouble and he let me come and go as I pleased. That's right, in the most boring town in the Pacific Northwest I had no freaking curfew. Just my luck.

When I started school that year, I met Alice Cullen. She was also fifteen and a freshman at Forks High. We had some classes together and, for whatever reason, she took a liking to me. It was probably because my silent, brooding personality was the exact opposite of her boisterous, cheerful one. She did all the talking and I just followed along, it worked. To this day, it still does, just with a different Cullen. Damn it.

Anyway, Edward's her older brother by a year. He was a sophomore at the time. Emmett, the oldest of the Cullen Kids, was a senior. Mr. and Mrs. Cullen had clearly had a busy few years, if you know what I mean. _Wink-wink…Nudge-nudge  
_Of course, if I were married to Carlisle Cullen, I would hit that as often as I could, too. He was, and still is at middle age, one fine specimen of a man.  
Hey, a girl can admire the candy without taking a taste.  
But I digress …

As I said, Alice took a liking to me almost immediately, declaring we would be BFF's by the end of the week. I think she secretly pitied me. I was the new girl at the school; awkward, shy and fashionably inept. She was popular, but not in the bitchy "I'm better than you" way. She was always kind and friendly. She also had a great eye for fashion. She convinced her mom to take us into Seattle after the first week of school so she could help me improve my wardrobe. Charlie was so excited that I had a friend, not to mention it was the "Cullen girl", that he threw two hundred in cash at me and told me to have fun. Strangely, I did. Not because I enjoy shopping, I left that shit to Alice. I just enjoyed being with Alice and Mrs. Cullen. It made me sad a little, watching them interact. I missed my mom. But Mrs. Cullen, or Esme as I began calling her, was just as kind as her daughter and did everything she could to make me feel comfortable and at home.

Edward and I, you ask? Well, let's see...  
When I would hang out at the Cullen's with Alice, she would sometimes get lost in her fashion magazines or her sketches; not my thing. So, I would grab a book from their home library and just hang out and read. They really didn't mind, the Cullen's knew my dad's schedule was crazy so they treated me like their own, with freedom to hang out when ever and where ever I wanted. I had a couple of favorite reading spots in their very large home, but on nice days, I would go outside and sit under a tree by the stream. I had become acquainted with Edward and Emmett, but never spent much time talking to them; they intimidated me, especially Edward. He was super smart, straight A's, and played piano in the school jazz band. That combination would have made most guys seem undesirable; probably getting them beat up on a regular basis. But he was actually quite popular. Plus, even in his teen years, he was so damn gorgeous the girls were falling over themselves to get his attention. But he never seemed to notice. This, of course, added to my attraction to him; he wasn't conceited and didn't seem to really know just how beautiful he was. He was so damn humble.

I remember to this day when our relationship changed; or, more accurately, our non-relationship changed to a relationship. It was on a Saturday afternoon. I was spending the weekend with Alice since dad was working and I didn't feel like being alone. This particular day, Alice was putting together a fashion board or some crap that made no sense to me. I mean, really, why can't you just wear jeans and a t-shirt, right?

Anyway, I grabbed one of the books I brought over and a blanket and went out to my favorite tree. It had turned into a warm day, so I shrugged off my long sleeve flannel, leaving me in my white tank top and jeans, and also removed my Chucks. I laid down on my belly on the blanket; it felt nice to have as much skin exposed to the warm sun as I could manage while staying decent. I was deep into my book, knees bent so I was swinging my feet back and forth when I heard a throat clear behind me, it was Edward. "Ummm… Hey…. My mom asked me to bring this soda out to you, she thought you were hot… umm… be hot…shit! I mean crap! Jeez… thirsty."  
He was holding a can out to me and running his free hand through his hair, trying to avoid eye contact.

Just seeing him, standing there in his khaki shorts and blue t-shirt, made my stomach flutter. I was lying there gaping at him when his eyes met mine causing me to look away and sit up so abruptly, that I caused myself a head rush. I yelped and grabbed my head, lowering it into my lap.  
"Are you ok?" He was instantly on the blanket with me, hand on my back, rubbing little circles. Everywhere his hand touched, I felt like my skin was on fire. At sixteen, I had never felt desire before, but I knew in that moment, that was exactly what I was feeling.

"Yeah, just sat up too fast. Head rush. Thanks," I took the soda from him and he sat with me on the blanket. He picked up the book I was reading, "'Pride and Prejudice'? Shouldn't you be reading one of those erotic romance books my sister likes?"

I nearly gagged on my drink, "Um… I'm not real sure how to answer that. It kind creeps me out that you know she reads those."  
"What?" He asked with a glint of humor in his eye, "she is dating my best friend. I know a lot more than I should about my little sister." He faked a shudder.  
Alice was dating Jasper Whitlock, also a sophomore. They were very cute together and very happy.

"Hmmmm, still. Have you ever read those things? I mean, how many euphemisms can they come up with for 'hard-on?'" Sure, maybe it was an inappropriate question to ask my best friends' brother but I never did have much of a filter.  
Besides, I was being serious, it was ridiculous.

He put his forefinger to his chin as if he was thinking, "Rod of steel?" he looked at me, quirking his eyebrow.  
That made me chuckle and I responded with, "Love stick."  
"Throbbing member."  
"Pulsating penis of passion?"  
_"Tumescent pillar of steel!"_

By the time we were done, we were both laughing so hard, we were gripping our sides. That was the start of a wonderful friendship.

Alice was my best girl friend, but Edward was my **best** friend. He got me like no one else did. We tried dating his senior year when I was a junior. Everyone always thought we would be perfect together, so we gave in and tried. I lost my virginity to him. Of course, in Edward Cullen fashion, it was perfect, which essentially ruined me for all other boys and, later, men. You think I'm kidding, but I'm not. Sex with Edward was heaven. He always cared for my needs before his. But no matter how good the sex was, we just couldn't make it work. We were realistic, it was the spring of his senior year and he would be leaving for college in five months. We agreed that we didn't have it in us to try and maintain a long distance relationship.

Shit, who was I kidding? I would have moved heaven and earth to be with that boy. And something told me, deep down, he felt the same way. But I told him to go on and enjoy college; he didn't need his high school girlfriend keeping him from experiencing what college life was all about.

He and Jasper graduated and moved to Seattle for school. Alice and Jasper didn't find having a long distance relationship difficult at all; but they had already been together for years. And, after all, Seattle really wasn't **_that_** far away. The Cullen Parents were rather open minded, so once a month she went there for a weekend and once a month he came to Forks. I watched them and their success as a couple and wondered if Edward and I had made the right decision, or if we had given up too easily. But then I decided that he and I were always better as friends.  
**_Right._**

After we graduated, Alice and I also moved to Seattle for school. We had our own small apartment not far from the guys. The four of us were together most weekends.

The first time Edward and I had sex again, we were drunk.  
I mean, isn't that how every great romance starts?  
_Yeah_… Not really.

Anyway, the four of us had been at a party and went home together to mine and Alice's place. Alice and Jasper had headed straight for the bedroom and were having loud monkey sex. Edward and I tried watching a movie, but no matter how loud we made the television we could still here the noise coming from the bedroom. We left and walked the three blocks back to his and Jazz's apartment where he convinced me to sleep in his bed.

_"We'll just sleep, Bells, I promise. I know how uncomfortable the couch is and neither of us will be able to sleep on it."  
I eyeballed him, trying to figure out his game. We had been talking earlier this week about how neither of us had "gotten any" in months and we were horny fucks. And now, here he was trying to get me into his bed under the guise of sleep.  
"Ok, Eddie, but no funny business," I was wagging my finger at him. But who was I kidding? I was already wet at the thought of him touching me.  
He threw his hands up, "No funny business! I'll keep my hands to myself! Swear!"_

_I stripped down to my underwear and t-shirt and he down to his boxer briefs then we climbed into his warm, cozy bed. We tried to sleep, honestly. We even started out on our sides, backs facing one another. But then he rolled over and his hand was in my hair and then on my back and under my shirt. It felt so good and so right. Before I knew it we were hot and sweaty and naked. And it was fucking amazing._

_That started the "Friends with Benefits" part of our friendship._

_Until Jessica._

_….._

I had moved to the sofa, the comfortable bubble having been burst with Edward's exit from my bed. He had showered and dressed and was currently sitting about two feet from me on the sofa eating and watching mindless TV.  
I heard the door in the kitchen open and slam closed followed by Alice bursting in the room.  
I really needed to start locking my door.

"There you are!" her hands were on her hips and she was staring at Edward, tapping her foot. She was pissed, but it was at him, not me, so I didn't care. To be honest, I was a little pissed at him, too. Not that I would tell anyone, though. Cause then I would have to admit… well, anyway.

Edward looked up at his little sister, "Good morning to you Al. To what do we owe this honor?"

I decided to chime in, because, apparently, I like poking the hornet's nest. What? It's fun to piss her off. "Yeah, and why are you just walking into my home? I could have been naked in here or something." I mean, really, I could have been… with Edward.  
That would have surely let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

Alice rolled her eyes, "First of all, Bella, I have seen you naked a hundred times, nothing new there unless you got something pierced or inked. Second, you haven't dated a guy in forever, and, since college, you don't do one night stands, so I was pretty sure you wouldn't be doing anything obscene in here…"  
_Oh, Alice, if you only knew  
_"… and it's practically noon."  
Ok, now her rationale on point number three would seem odd to some; I mean, to most it would not have mattered that it was noon. But I was always up and dressed by ten in the morning on weekends. I like to get my day moving, stay on a schedule. Just like I don't drink on a work night or eat after eight in the evening.  
Control freak? Nope, not me…

"Point well taken, Ali. Please, continue berating your brother." I looked back down at my computer trying to feign little interest in what had her all wound up. Besides, I had a feeling I already knew.  
"Alice, get to it. I'm enjoying my Sunday with Bella."  
_Damn him.  
_"Bull shit, Edward! You're hiding! Would you like to know who blew up my phone last night when she couldn't reach you? Jessica! I told her I had no idea where you were, but of course we both know that was a lie since Jazz was your designated driver last night."  
_Double damn him.  
_"Alice, I really don't want to discuss this with you," I looked over at Edward and he had his eyes closed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He was clearly stressed out, **_Jessica_** stressed him out. I never remember seeing him like this before she was in his life.  
"Too bad, Bro. Since your _girlfriend_ is on my couch in tears, I'm here to get your ass and take you to her. I'm in this whether you like it or not."

Now he was running his hands in his hair and tugging. This wasn't a good sign.  
"Alice, I think we are done. It's too hard…"  
"Edward, relationships are hard."  
"They shouldn't be, look at you and Jazz, mom and dad, Em and Rose for Pete's sake! Why does mine have to be so hard?"  
_God help me, I really do not want to be here._

"Cause Edward, you love her," she was now sitting on the trunk I used as a coffee table, her hands on his knees. And I'm just sitting here, trying not to puke. Alice rubbed his knees and continued, "Jessica is not an easy person Edward. You know I am not her biggest fan. But you can't just run when something goes wrong. You talk. You yell. You work it out. But you don't run."  
_Running, that sounds good. I would like to run to anywhere but here. This is beyond uncomfortable._

"I know, Alice. It's just so messed up."  
"Well, come talk to her and unmess it, I need her out of my house. She's driving me fucking nuts."  
Edward chuckled. He knew his sister didn't like his girlfriend of nearly four years. He knew I didn't care for her. Then again, neither did Jazz, Em, Rose or his parents. Why was he with this girl again? Oh yeah, she had her fingers in every aspect of his life, claws dug in. To give her up meant giving up everything.  
See, Jessica had met Edward in his last year in college. She was enamored by him, he was eye candy and she wanted him on her arm. She came from a very prominent Seattle family. Her dad, Mr. Stanley, owned the largest advertising firm in the North West. Edward was fresh out of college and looking for a computer graphic design job. He had just started dating Jessica and she told him that she would put in a good word for him with her "Daddy". Before he knew it, Edward had a job that paid quite a bit more than the regular starting salary. Within a year he lived in a nice home with Jessica, drove a brand new sports car and went to lavish parties. His salary had also increased a few times and he had his own office, unheard of for someone his age. I mean, he is very good at his job, but seriously, we all knew it was Jessica and her Daddy that pulled the strings. They were grooming him to be the perfect husband for Jessica. He would have looks and money. Sure, he was living the life, but he had basically sold his soul. At least, that's my opinion. And I'm not short on opinions when it comes to those two.

He realized about six months after moving in with her that life with Jessica Stanley and her "Daddy" was not all it was cracked up to be, but he was in too far. He had become accustom to their lifestyle, maxing out his credit cards just to keep up. He could barely make the minimum payments on them without the exorbitant salary he was receiving, so he could never quit the job. If he did, his credit would go to shit. I know, worrying about credit in your twenties wouldn't normally be an issue, but Carlisle Cullen raised his kids to be responsible in all things, especially their finances.  
Of course, then there was the threat that if he DID ever leave her, her "Daddy" would ruin his name and he would never be able to get another job in town, whether it was in graphic design or flipping burgers.

So, he sucked it up and stayed with her. He was on the fast track to success … and marriage.  
And here I was diddling on my thumbs, hoping and praying he would finally tell her to kiss off.  
_Right._

"Fine, Alice. I will come and talk to her," he turned to look at me then dropped his eyes as he spoke, "Thanks for letting me…um… crash here last night, Bella." His hand was on the couch and he slid it over so his fingertips just ghosted my thigh. My skin tingled and my heart fell into my stomach.

_Pack your bags, first flight to DeNile leaving at twelve o'five!_

Let's face it, what did I think was going to happen? He was walking out, back to her. I was a fucking moron. And maybe that little angle figure had it right, I was a total skank. FML.

He stood to take his coffee cup into the kitchen and get his shoes.

Alice watched him walk out and then turned to me, "You know, she knows he came here. He always comes here when he runs from her. It's not right, Bella. Not for any of you."  
I had never told Alice that her brother and I were … _intimate_. It didn't happen all that often, just when they had one of their major fights and he left her. And I always assumed that his time with me would make him realize he could have better. That he could be happy. That **_I_**could make him happy.

Yes, my patheticness has been covered, thanks.  
And, yes, I know "patheticness" isn't a word, it's what I do for a living. Publishing house, remember? Jeez.

Besides, I figured it would be wrong of me to put Alice in that position since she was friendly with Jessica, they went on double dates and stuff. But she looked at me like she knew why he was here, and it was not to sleep on the couch. I suddenly felt very uncomfortable and had to look away, I could feel her eyes boring into me.

When I opened my mouth to speak, it came out no more than a whisper. I sounded smaller than normal, even to myself, "Alice, he's a big boy. He can do what he wants."  
I love my best friend; let's face it, Ali was more like a sister to me. But in this, I couldn't bend. As long as he needed me, I would be here, no matter how sick or depraved it was. I knew it, he knew it. I would be a spinster with fifty cats and still waiting for Edward Anthony Cullen to declare his love for me.

_Fuck my life._

Sighing, she patted me on the leg, then stood and kissed me on top of my head, "I love you sister from another mister. I just wish you would move on, find your happiness." She turned to leave.  
"I have…" I said sighing, not sure if she heard me, but not really caring if she did.  
She turned and looked at me, eyebrow quirked, "What was that Bella?"  
Just then Edward walked in to the room, so I just shrugged at her. What more could I say?  
"Ready, Sis?"  
And that was it, they were out the door, and I was alone.  
Forever alone.  
"Well…Shit."

I got up and decided to **not **bang my head against the wall; instead I headed back to my bedroom and got into my most comfortable pair of pajamas and then made my way to the kitchen and pulled the bottle of vodka from the freezer. Pajamas at noon and drinking on a Sunday? Normally I would shudder at the thought.  
Yeah, well, not today. Today I was breaking my regimen.

And I really couldn't give a shit.

* * *

**A/N... So, Bella ticked some people off in the first chapter... and that's ok. She doesn't necessarily like what she and Edward are doing, either. But sometimes we do stupid things when we love someone and are desperate for them... :)**

**Thanks for reading - and thanks for leaving lovely, encouraging comments.  
It makes me feel warm and fuzzy... and it's freaking cold in North Florida right now, so I can use all the warm and fuzzy I can get!  
:D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi all! Sorry for the delay... Finishing up "When it All Changes" and then was sick for a few days.  
This chapter ended up much longer than I had planned, but there just seemed to be no good breaking point. So, you get it ALL!  
As always, I don't own the original characters, but pathetic Bella and idiotic Edward are all mine... the good and the bad. :)**

* * *

Chapter 3

It was early Sunday evening, not even six, and I was watching a horror movie on the television. It was the beginning of October, which meant scary movie time. This was usually a favorite time of year for me because for many years, no matter what we were doing, Edward and I would reserve one weekend in October to watch scary movies together. And for the record, nothing ever happened. We just usually watched all of the "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" movies sometimes including a little Freddy for some flair. We would lock ourselves in my apartment for two and a half days with beer and pizza and a variety of other junk foods. We had the best time laughing at the movies, especially the sequels that just seemed to get more and more ridiculous. For some reason, he had been allowed to get away with it the last few years. I wasn't real sure why Jessica never put her foot down on him spending the weekend with me, but I never spent too much time thinking about it, just happy to have time with him. Plus, I secretly hoped they had argued about it and, in at least this one thing, he chose me.  
Please, do not feel the need to remind me of my disgusting pathetic ways…  
Besides, we hadn't discussed a movie weekend this year and, after last night, I really don't think it's going to happen.

Today, I was watching the remake of "Halloween". That Rob Zombie is one sick fucker.

There was a soft knock on the door downstairs, the one that went into the main house; then I heard locks click. "Bella?" Rose called up. She had been texting me for the last few hours and I was ignoring her. Well, I was ignoring everyone, really.  
Wallowing in my own stupidity and self pity.

"You alive up there?"  
"Yeah, Rose. Come on up," I hollered back to her. I heard her climbing the stairs then walking through the common area, appearing in the doorway to the living room. She shook her head at me, "Want to talk about it?"  
I was sprawled out on the couch, with the half empty vodka bottle in my hand, as I pointed at the television, "Well, you see, there is this psycho kid, Michael Myers. He kills his sister and goes insane…"  
"Bella, you know what I am talking about and it's not your movie. You had someone up here last night." She paused and drew in a breath, "I think it's time we talk."

I was suddenly jolted from my hazy buzz. Sitting straight up, eyes wide open and focused on hers, I was very, **_very_** aware of the sound of my heart beating in my chest.  
_How could she possible know?_

Edward and I had always been careful to not let on to our… _indiscretions. _

Sure, Alice had her suspicions, but they were just that, suspicions. She had no proof and therefore left it alone. When he and I were together with our friends, we would not touch each other beyond the sterile hug or a teasing punch to the arm. We certainly didn't call each other by our pet names, reserving those for our special times together. Besides, if the guys heard me call him Eddie, they would pick on him relentlessly. I had made such a big deal out of no one calling me Bells, "My name is Bella" I would say flatly, that no one ever called me that, thus successfully keeping our pet names solely for each other.

Now, Rose was sitting across from me, in about the same place Alice was earlier today, knee to knee with me and a look of concern in her eyes.

Rose and I had become friends because of her relationship with and then marriage to Emmett. Emmett was always like a big brother to me. The opposite of Edward, he was big and burly, not a stellar student but captain of every sport he ever played. In fact, he was currently the captain of his flag football team, The Spartans. Everyone loved Em, he was a giant teddy bear, unless you ticked him off. He was loyal to a fault and if you hurt one of his "family" you had a _very_ big problem on your hands. Thankfully, I was in the "family" category. That, incidentally, came in pretty handy since my overloading mouth tended to get me into trouble. Rose was beautiful with blond hair and the body of a model. She was Em's perfect fit and they complimented each other in every way. Physically, he was hard with muscles and angles and she was soft with curves. He was the constant joker in the group, never taking much seriously, and she would bring seriousness and level headed decisions into the situation. She reeled him in and he let her fly. It was wonderful to watch them. She was headstrong and smart and right now, she saw right through the bullshit facade I had created.

"Rose, I have no idea what you are talking about. Now, if you don't mind, there is a knife wielding psycho demanding my attention."

_DeNile, table for 1!_

"Bella, look at me. You can not lie to me, so don't even try. Emmett has no idea of my suspicions and if you confirm them, I promise I will keep it that way. But it is apparent by the fact that you are in pajamas and drinking on a Sunday that you need someone to talk to, and I am probably the most logical person, since I am of no blood relation to… _Edward_."

Just the sound of his name made my face flush. I looked down to my lap to avoid Rose's ice blue eyes. She pulled the bottle from my hands and took both of mine in hers.  
"How long Bella? How long have you been sneaking Edward up here? How long have you too been messing around?"  
I just shook my head. I couldn't believe what was happening; we had tried so hard to not let anyone know. I could feel the tears burning in my eyes and I let them fall. I was so done with all of this; I couldn't do it anymore, not alone.  
"It's not like that, Rose," I said, shaking my head. Then looking up at her, "How did you figure it out?"  
"Well, let's just say, I will be talking to Emmett about sound proofing the space in between your apartment floor and our ceiling."

_Damn._

No sense in hiding any longer, I took a deep breath and spilled my guts, "Off and on for years. You know we dated in high school and he was my first?"  
Rose nodded, she had heard the stories.  
"Well, then in college, we were 'Friends with Benefits'. Neither of us was dating, so it didn't hurt anything. We were able to have a sexual relationship without it messing up our friendship. It seemed perfect. Then he met Jessica and soon after I started dating Riley. We each had our own relationships and were both happy. But when Riley broke up with me and I locked myself in here, Edward was the one to show up here a day later and check on me…"  
"I remember that," Rose said, "His car was here all night. Em said it was nice that you had him to lean on."  
"Yeah well," I thought back to that night and shook my head, "it started out that way. I mean, it was innocent enough at first, but escalated quickly. He said the sweetest things to me. Before I knew it, we were in my bed and naked and... oh God Rose, it is so go with him. Not just the sex, everything. He's my best friend and I… God."

My head was in my hands and I was sobbing.  
_Yep, pathetic._

"Does he know? Bella, does he know how you feel?"  
_Never, he can never know…_

"No, Rose. He can't. He has to stay with super bitch, she will never let him go without a fight. And if he did walk away, her dad will ruin him." This was so screwed up.  
Rose sat up a little straighter and pulled my face up so I was forced to look her in the eyes, "Ok, first of all, there are other places to live and other jobs to be had outside of Seattle, so get over the whole 'Her rich daddy is going to ruin Edward's life' thing. You all drive me fucking nuts with that shit and it is seriously the most ridiculous fucking thing I have heard. Second, maybe if you told him how you felt, he would decide being with you was worth the risk. Isn't it a little unfair that you are making the decision for him?"  
_Well….. fuck._

"I hadn't really thought of it like that. But Rose, he is everything to me, so if he wanted to stay with Jessica and with her dad's company, then I'm not going to get between that."  
"Bella, it seems to me you are already 'between it' and under it… and over it," she was chuckling now, "for someone who is so smart, you sure can be really stupid."  
"Well, thanks a lot, Rose. I love you too." I grabbed the bottle and about had it to my lips when she pulled it away.  
"Hey!"  
"No more of this or you'll be stripping naked singing Adele songs from the roof again. I can't have that, it will scare the neighbors."  
"Jeez, MOM, it was only that once."

In my defense, it was right after Riley, the fucker, broke my heart. And I wasn't on the top roof, but the flat portion over the porch that was outside my living room windows. And I had underwear on… what? Vodka and kool-aid, it does strange things to me. Besides, Edward came over later and talked me down. _And, well, yeah…_

"Well, I don't care. No more today. Now move over so I can watch this stupid movie with you." I made room for her on the couch and she took a seat next to me. After it was done, she invited me down for dinner, but I declined, deciding to go to bed early. I had to get up at six in the morning and hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before. She said good bye and went back down, locking the door behind her.

I got ready for bed, I was so tired my body hurt. Or maybe that was the gaping hole in my heart.  
_Good Lord, I'm an idiot…_

I turned my phone back on, having turned it off when I started my drink fest with Michael Myers, and noticed I had a lot of missed calls and text messages. There were the calls and texts from Rose. I deleted them all except the most recent one, sent just a few moments ago:  
**_Tell him. Let him decide. You may be surprised. – R  
_**Right, like I could do that. I saved the text, though. Maybe, one day when I was feeling brave I would read it and do what it said. Maybe.

There were a few texts from Alice:  
**_Love you B, please don't be upset with me, I know it's your life. – Ali  
What are you doing? Did you see Halloween is on? – Ali_**  
**_Let's have dinner this week and talk. I need your help with the wedding plans. – Ali_**

Gah! Wedding. She and Jasper were marring on New Year's Eve at 8 o'clock. Then the party was planned to last through midnight. This would have been fine, except, at this point I was single with no prospects. Everyone will be paired up partying and having fun. There is no way she will ever let me leave early, which means, at Midnight, when all the couples are lip-locked, I will be standing alone. Lovely.  
I responded to the last text:  
**_OK, I'm free Wednesday night. Meeting Charlie for dinner on Tuesday and working late tomorrow and Thursday. – B_**

My phone buzzed in my hand immediately:  
**_OK, Wednesday. I'll pick you up at your place. Luvs! – Ali  
_**Crazy girl:  
**_You too BB -) – B_**

Then, there was a text from Edward. My heart jumped into my throat and my thumb hesitated over the screen, not sure if I wanted to read it. _Screw it… _I opened the message:  
**_Bells, I'm sorry. I know this is all fucked up. I don't know what to do. I think I love her, but I don't know anymore. But her dad has me against a wall. I know this isn't fair to you. God, Bells, you felt so good last night. I want to bury myself in you again and just stay there. I'm sorry, I shouldn't feel that way, but it's true. What am I doing? Shit. Please don't hate me. I can't live if you hate me. – Your Eddie_**

And that was it. I went to bed and cried into my pillow. "Piss or get off the pot," that's what Phil always said. I always thought it was just a funny saying and never really understood it until now. I needed to make a decision one way or the other, and commit to it.

XOXOXOXOX

Monday found me at my desk, hard at work. I was a Junior Editor at a local publishing house, Newton Publishing. I got the job right after college graduation. My goal was to one day possibly own my own small publishing company. But for now, I was happy editing books. I loved reading and often got lost in the stories. Romance, fantasy, historical, fiction, non-fiction I loved it all.

Mike Newton, heir to the Newton Publishing Legacy, was roaming the cubicles this morning. I still had no idea what his official title here was, after nearly three years. Although, I think somewhere he had a business card that read: _Mike Newton, Newton Publishing, CEO of Nothing, Giant Pain in Bella Swan's Ass  
_But I couldn't confirm it.

He was always hovering over me and making eyes at me. It was gross.  
He was mid thirties and still single. I figured that was because he always had clammy hands that no woman would ever want to hold plus he just came across as … slimy. But, since he reeks of money, he has his fair share of bimbo's; but no Mrs. Newton prospects on the horizon.  
And I was certainly not volunteering.

"Bella…. How are you today?"  
_Good grief... don't roll your eyes, don't roll your eyes…  
_"Good morning Mike, how was your weekend?"  
I didn't really care, but it couldn't hurt to place nice with the owner's son.

"It was great, flew down to Vegas and hit some clubs, did some gambling, got some lap dances. You know how it goes."  
_Actually, no I don't… Ick.  
_"Sure, well, glad it was nice," I tried to end the conversation before it could get started, looking back at my computer screen. Then he stepped into my cubicle and leaned his butt on my desk.  
_Eww… personal space there buddy?  
_"You'll have to come with me sometime, it's a lot of fun. Lots of women enjoy lap dances, it's quite… ummm... what's the word? Erotic?"  
Ok, now I threw up in my mouth a little.

"Gee, Mike. That is a nice… offer. But, I really don't like…"  
_What? Lap dances? Planes? Grease balls with clammy hands?  
_"…leaving town. My dad is…. sick…"  
_God, I'm going to hell for this…  
_"… and I need to, you know, stay close. But thanks for the offer."  
What? He did have a cold last week….  
He looked at me like I was an idiot, and then shook his head.  
"Ok, Bella, well, I hope your dad is ok and all. Maybe sometime in the future, we can get together, fly down there."  
"Sure."  
_Never  
_"Great. I better get back to work, then. Don't want the people to think I'm a slacker of a boss."

With that he was off, and I heard him not to far from me, "Jenna! Hey, ever been to Vegas?"

"Good grief." I opened my desk drawer to get out a couple of aspirin and a disinfectant wipe for my desk when noticed I had a new text from Edward on my phone.

**_I'll be in your area at noon, want to meet for lunch? – E_**

"Well, this is turning into a banner Monday, isn't it?" I grumbled out loud to myself. I wasn't concerned with anyone ever overhearing my muttered rants since I was in the back corner and the only other cubicle by me was empty, thank God. Cause I did a lot of talking to myself.

_What to do…. What to do?  
Screw it…  
_**_Sure. I'll meet you out on the street at noon – B_**

He sent back a quick "OK" message and that was it.  
The rest of my morning flew by and before I knew it, it was noon.  
I was glad I had decided to wear my red dress today. Now that I think about it, it was probably one of the reasons Mike came to talk to me.  
_Huh._

It was a red wrap dress that was cut lower than I normally wore my tops and the push up bra I was wearing under it today had the girls looking quite pert. The dress had black trim and a black tie around it so I wore my one and only pair of black "fuck me" pumps; Alice's name for them, not mine. I looked quite trendy and even sexy today and I mentally high fived myself when I walked out the door and Edward did a double take, his mouth dropping just a bit.

Of course, he looked like the Adonis that he was in his charcoal gray suit and blue shirt open at the collar.

"Wow, Bella," he gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek, "You look amazing today. I don't know that I've ever seen that dress on you before." He held me out at arm's length with his gaze moving down my body.  
_Yeah, eat it big boy.  
_I nonchalantly shrugged, "I save it for special occasions."  
"Like Monday mornings?" he smirked at me.  
**_Gah._**

"Yeah, well, I've decided to turn over a new leaf. A whole new, self assured, moving up in life Bella; and I'm dressing the part."  
He just looked at me for a few seconds and then shook his head, like he was thinking something unpleasant and wanted to shake the thought away.  
"Shall we?" he said and held his elbow out for me to take.  
I declined and stepped ahead of him, "Sure, let's go. I only have an hour." And I left him standing there.  
_Ha! Eat my dust, Cullen!_  
I had decided at some point between sobs and curses last night that I was done with this game. If he was going to stay with Jessica, than that was fine. But I was no longer going to be waiting in the wings.  
He needed to straighten his shit out and I needed to be left alone to find my own path.

We made it two blocks to the café, which was great because my feet were freaking killing me. How in the hell do the Kardashians walk in these things all the damn time?  
We were seated at a small booth towards the back and placed our orders. We settled in to easy chit chat until the food came.  
Edward pushed his pasta around on his plate with his fork.  
"Bells, we need to talk."  
_Damn it, not the pet name. Not here, not now._

"Edd…**_ward_**, I thought that's what we've been doing," I caught myself before I called him 'Eddie'. There was no way I was falling for this, playing this game with him.  
He must have realized it because he cleared his throat and sat up straighter before starting again. "Bella, I really need to explain why I showed up at your place the other night. We had fought, I really thought things were over. She threw my clothes out on the yard."  
_Really? Huh._

"And this affects me, how, Edward?" _That's right, play it cool…  
_"Well, I know I always show up on your door step every time Jess and I fight and it's not fair to you. Or to Jess."  
Not what I was expecting.  
"Edward," I leaned forward, my voice barely above a whisper, "Does she know? Did you tell her what happens sometimes?"  
"God, no Bella. No, I couldn't do that to her. Look, I know I need to find a way out of this thing with Jess. I spent a lot of time thinking last night. I really do think it is over. I just have to find a way to do it. I'm going to lose everything." He ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit he never quit. I was consumed with the urge to reach out and take his hand, squeezing it for reassurance.  
_Damn it!  
_  
"And your point is what exactly, Edward?" The snarky bitch in me decided to take over before the love sick idiot in me could do more damage, "Will you miss your black sports car or the fine suits? Maybe the parties? The big house and jumbo television?" I lowered my voice, leaned across the table and hissed at him, "Or perhaps what you'll miss the most is the opportunity to fuck two women in the same week?"

I was so mad I was seeing red, my blood pressure had rocketed so high I could hear my heart thumping in my ears and my verbal filter had packed up and left town.

"You sold your soul to the devil and his daughter. This is all on you," I was standing at the table now, hands shaking and on the verge of tears, "but this," I twirled my finger between us, "this is done. I can't be your **_friend_** or your **_shoulder_** or your … **_tension release_** when super bitch does something else to upset you. So, if you ever get tired of having Jessica's strap on up your ass, you come and find me. Until then, don't call. Don't text. And, for God's sake, do NOT come by my place. Find someone else to fuck your frustration out on."

And before the tears could start to fall, I grabbed my purse and high tailed it out the café.

I had successfully made it out of the doors and about fifteen feet down the sidewalk without crying, or falling, when I ran into something large and hard.  
"Oof!" I stumbled back a little thanks to my ridiculously high heels.  
_Odd, I don't remember a wall here. _But there was definitely something hard under my hands.  
I opened my eyes and looked up into the bronze face of a very lovely and very well built man.  
"Are you ok?" he had his hands on my arms to steady me. His hands were so large, his long fingers easily fit around my arms; his voice was warm and smooth and he smelled wonderful. And here I was, probably looking like a psycho, storming out of the café with tears beginning to stream down my face.  
"Um, yeah?" that was all I could manage before I heard Edward behind me, "Bella, please. Come back and talk."

I drew in a deep breath and wiped the few stray tears that had started to roll down my cheeks. The bronze statue hadn't let go of me yet, which made it hard to use my hand, but I was a little thankful for his support, I wasn't sure I could actually stand on my own at the moment.

"Edward," I looked down at the ground instead of over my shoulder, not wanting to meet his eyes. If I looked him in the eyes, I would cave. I always did. "I'm done with this. I can't be friends with you. I can't be… anything with you. Not right now."

"Bells, please. I can't do this without you." It was like I could feel him stretching a hand out for me. I was sure if I looked at him, I would see eyes filled with hurt and confusion.

Bronze God spoke up then, "I believe she said she was done. I'm not sure what the problem is here, but she looks upset. I think it's best if you left her alone right now." I cast a glance up at him through my eyelashes. His jaw was set and he looked quite intimidating. He didn't sound threatening, but he was definitely the type of guy you didn't want to fuck with.

Edward took a step closer, I could see him in my peripheral vision now, and hissed back at him, "Who the fuck do you think you are? You don't know her."

"I'm Jacob, Jacob Black… what is it, Edward? And Bella, right?" he was looking down at me. This was surreal and all I could do was stand there. I mean, I had heard of Knights in Shining Armor before, but now I seemed to have my very own, except he was clad in a leather jacket.  
_Tasty…  
_"Well, Edward. How about you give Bella here some space? Let's not make a scene."  
I could hear Edward take a deep breath, "Bella, I'm going now, but only because I think it's best. I want to talk again later, please."  
I had no more strength left in me to fight it. I finally turned and looked at him, "Edward, please, just leave me alone. Figure out what you need to and then we'll see where things are, what we are. Ok?"  
He ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the back of his neck, nodding he turned and went back into the café, I assumed to pay. I didn't really care at that point.

"So, Bella, it's very nice to meet you," I looked up at… Jacob's… face. He was beaming at me.  
"Yeahhh, um, you too?"  
_So weird._

"Where are you headed?" he was entirely too friendly, but not in a stalker way. But then again, what did I know? Up until fifteen minutes ago, I had been regularly fucking the boyfriend of another woman. I mean, let's call it for what it was. I really was a home wrecking slut. And my judgment was clearly off.

"Back to work, I guess. Although, I'm not in the mood."  
"So, call in. Tell them you got sick…oh! Or hit by a car!"  
I scrunched my face up at him.  
"Ok, a runaway skateboard?"  
That made me laugh.  
"That's nice," he said looking down at me, still holding my arms.  
"What?"  
"Your laugh. It's nice. Well, if you are going back to work, can I at least walk you there? Make sure you don't get into any more trouble? That dress there is sure to garner you a bit more attention if you're walking alone." His grin was as big as the Cheshire Cat's.  
"Oh, why the hell not." I figured, we were in public and he seemed friendly, I actually felt oddly comfortable with him, like we had been friends for a long time.  
He let go of my arms and walked me back to my office. On the way, I took in all that there was of Jacob Black. He was taller than Edward by about four inches, and was much more muscular; his shoulders were very broad and looked great in the leather jacket he was wearing. I even found an excuse to fall behind slightly so I could check out his ass. Oh yeah, Jacob Black had a nice ass.

Sadly, there would be no calling in for me this afternoon since I had too much work to do. But Jacob and I exchanged phone numbers. He had just moved back to the area after doing some traveling around the country on his motorcycle. His dad lived at La Push which was close to Forks, so it seemed we had a lot in common. He was as easy to talk to as he was to look at.

"La Push, huh? Wait, my dad's friend is Billy Black, you aren't related to him are you?" We were standing at the door of Newton's and I knew the receptionist, Lauren, was probably shooting an email to everyone telling them that quiet Bella was talking to a behemoth of a beauty outside the door.  
"Billy is my dad," he said with a huge grin.

"Wait! You're 'Jake'? Oh my gosh! Our dads are always fishing and watching endless amounts of sporting events together! Hey, didn't you move away or something? I remember meeting you once, but then never saw you again."

Jacob looked down and fiddled with the pull on his zipper, it was a gesture of slight insecurity and it warmed my heart.  
"Yeah, long story. I went to live with my aunt for a while in Colorado. I was a bit of an unruly teenager. I finished out high school there." He paused and I knew that was the end of the story, for now.

"Well, that's cool. I'll have to tell dad how small the world is that I ran into his BFFs son in Seattle! I better get back to work though. Thanks for walking me Jacob."

"Jake, you can just call me Jake," he was back to smiling again, but it didn't seem to reach his eyes like it had earlier.

"Ok, Jake. So… Call me? I mean, if you want... you don't have too… ever really…"  
_Some days I am truly the biggest of idiots…_

Thankfully, Jake decided to save me from myself. He reached out and said, "Phone?" I handed it to him and watched as he called his phone from mine. Now we had each other's numbers. Nice. Then he leaned in to kiss me on the cheek, "Trust me, Bella, I'll be calling you. Enjoy the rest of your day at work."  
My mouth was hanging open, I was betting Lauren's was, too.  
"Uh-huh…"

Yes, people, that is all I could come up with. I work with words for a living and for Pete's sake all I could freaking say was _"Uh-huh"_…  
Shoot me now. I beg you.  
Jake just looked at me and smirked, probably because it was clearly obvious that he had turned me into a ball of girl goo on the sidewalk, "See ya Bella."

And he turned and walked back towards the direction of the café. I wonder what he had been doing in Seattle anyway. I think I'll ask him later… right now I am just going to stand here and watch his very firm ass in his tight jeans walk away from me.  
My phone buzzed and I looked down, I had a text, from Jake…

**Stop staring at my ass, Bella, you're making me nervous. Laters – J**

I laughed very loudly as I turned five shades of red. My hand was clasped over my mouth as he slowed to glance back at me over his shoulder, so I moved it from my mouth and wiggled my fingers at him. He proceeded to do a little turn, shake his rear and then _saunter_ off. I was laughing so hard I had tears rolling down my cheeks. Jacob Black was my life saver today and I was definitely looking forward to getting to know him better.

XOXOXOXOX

I was packing up my stuff from my desk and locking my drawers when Mike came back to my cubicle. It was past seven and I was exhausted and did not want to deal with him right now, he seriously creeped me out. Of course, it didn't help the creep factor much that all of the other staff had left from our floor and we were alone.

"Bella, you're still here? Shouldn't a pretty girl like you have someone to get home to?"  
_ICK! _  
My skin was crawling as I slid between him and the partition wall to get out of my cubicle. All I could think about was making it to the elevators and freedom from the perv following me.  
"Well, Mike, I just had some work I needed to get finished up, I'm leaving a little early tomorrow to visit my dad, remember?" I wasn't sure if he did remember, I had cleared the time off with Tanya in HR, so I really didn't give a shit what he thought about it now.

"Your **_sick_** dad?"  
Yeah, he said it with emphasis on the "sick", seems he didn't buy my story from this morning. I was content living alone for the most part, but right now, I seriously wished I had a guy waiting on me, that would call me wondering where I was and when I was coming home. Just so I could get Sleazeball Newton to quit sniffing around me.

"Yeah, my dad, I'm visiting him ... tomorrow." And at that moment, my cell rang. I was nearly at the elevators and Mike was still on my heels. I rummaged in my bag to get my phone thanking the heavens for whoever it was that was calling.

I grinned when I saw the name of the incoming caller : **Jacob B  
**I decided to take the opportunity to mess with Mike, answering the phone with, "Hey baby. How's it going?" I had just pushed the button to the elevator and turned to look at Mike over my shoulder. He had stopped in his tracks.

"Baby is it? Gee, Bella, I barely know you, that's a little familiar, don't you think?" Jake's voice sounded so good on the phone and I could tell by the levity of it that he wasn't the least bit upset at me using the pet name on him.

Mike was still staring at me, his eyebrows pulled together. I mouthed sorry to him as the elevator dinged open. Into the phone I said, "Yeah, honey, whatever you want to make for dinner is fine with me. I can't wait." Looking back to the now clearly ticked off Mike Newton, I said, "Good night Mike. See you in the morning," as the doors slid closed. I then collapsed against the side of the elevator.

Jake chuckled into the phone, "So, I take it your calling me 'baby' was to get a guy off your ass, huh?"  
"Jake, you are officially my Superman. Twice in one day you saved me from impending doom. How will I ever repay you?" I had stepped off the elevator and was walking across the lobby towards the employee parking garage.  
He laughed into the line, it sent a warm tingle down my spine.

"Superman, huh? Well then, **_Lois_**, how about you agree to have dinner with me tonight?"

I stopped at the glass door. My heart had jumped in my chest at his invitation. Part of me really wanted to go, but another part of me wasn't ready for this yet. My head was in a jumble.  
I took in a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping into the garage and pushed the button to unlock my light blue Volkswagen Bug.  
"Jake, I would really like to have dinner with you…"  
"But you can't?"  
"No, not tonight," I tossed my stuff into my car and sat down, putting him on speaker so I could get buckled in and start the car.  
"Is it that guy, Edward? I mean, it's ok if it is. I don't really want to get into the middle of something."  
I shook my head. There really wasn't anything for him to get into the middle of, so why did I feel so weird about accepting his invitation?  
"It is him, sort of… I guess. Not really? I don't know, Jake. I would like to have dinner with you, but it has been a long day, I just really need to get home tonight. Can we plan another night?"  
I was pulling out of my parking space and making my way to the gate.  
"Yeah, but not tomorrow, I have dinner plans already,"  
"Me too. And Wednesday and I work late on Thursday."  
"Wow, Bella, you are a busy lady," he chuckled into the phone.  
Sighing I said, "I know. Look, if it's too hard…"  
"Nope. Not too hard, I can wait for you. How about Friday?"  
I was pulling on to the street now, "Sounds good, Jake."  
"Good, I'll call you later in the week with details. Good night Bella, drive safe."  
"Thanks Jake."  
He disconnected the line and I felt the need to look into my rearview mirror. Behind me I saw the single light of a motorcycle turn on and turn around, heading into the other direction. He had been waiting on me, to see if I would go to dinner with him.

I felt warm in my chest and I couldn't get rid of the grin that had spread across my face. In fact, I'm pretty sure I was still wearing it when I fell asleep a couple of hours later.

* * *

**THANK YOU for reading. I know that the lives of Bella and Edward are a little... messy... in this story and they seemed to tick a few of you off, but I'm ok with that. Better to get some reaction than none at all? :)  
Please consider leaving me some friendly words... I like reading what you are thinking... plus your encouragement gets me through!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Greetings and Happy Wednesday!  
As always... don't own them, we know who does. But they are fun to mess with ... ;-)**

* * *

Chapter 4

The next morning, I woke to Rose banging on the downstairs door. It was still too early for me to have to get up and her version of a wake-up call was not making me happy.  
"Bella!" She called up the stairs, "I'm coming up!"

I groaned and rolled over, pulling the blankets over my head. It was too fucking early for this. I need to get a new lock for that door as well… damned friends, barging in all the time.  
Rose came in and plopped herself down on my bed, "Hey! Wake up!"  
She hit my leg, so I kicked her.  
"Too early, Blondie."  
"No, I think it's too late! Why the hell didn't you tell me about meeting Edward for lunch yesterday?" She pulled the blanket off my head.  
"Damn it," I growled and rolled over to face her, "because it was not that big of a deal. I basically told him to fuck off."  
Rose sighed and moved so she was sitting next to me, back against the headboard. "It might not have been a big deal to you, which by the way I don't believe for a minute, but it was most certainly a big deal to Edward. And didn't we agree that you would tell him how you felt, not tell him to fuck off?"

I forced myself to sit up next to her, running my hands over my face and trying to collect my thoughts, I was still half asleep. It was still dark outside for goodness sake!  
"Rose, I did tell him how I felt, it just came out… differently. And what do you mean by 'It's a big deal to Edward'?" I asked noticing that Rose was showered and dressed in her work scrubs.  
And I had morning breath.  
Lovely.  
"Bella, Alice called me, she said that Edward spent the night on their couch, he had been out drinking and got a cab to their place. He wouldn't tell her what was wrong, just that he had lost his best friend and something about 'Damned Jacob Black'. Who's Jacob Black and why is Edward pissed off at him and what does it have to do with you?"  
"Ok, Rose, first of all, you need to slow down. You clearly have a head start on me this morning, seeing how you are showered and dressed, and I haven't even taken my morning pee and wiped the sleep from my eyes. What time is it?"  
"Five thirty."  
"Damn it, I easily had another thirty minutes to sleep!" I crawled off the foot of my bed and went to the bathroom. I hollered back to Rose, "What time are you leaving for work?"  
"Seven."  
I flushed and washed my hands, then walked back to my room. "Ok, here's what we are going to do, you are going back downstairs and I am going to shower, brush my teeth and get dressed. While I'm doing that, you will put on a pot of coffee and make me some breakfast, it's the least your ass can do after waking me up so freaking early. I'll be down there in thirty minutes and will go over the whole thing with you."  
Rose huffed, but got off the bed and stomped to the stairs, "Fine, but you better be down there in thirty, or I'll be back up here to get your ass."  
"I'm sure you will, now leave. Please."  
"Ok, ok." And she was out the door.

I showered and pulled on a pair of putty colored chinos with a white fitted blouse. I had my red blazer ready to go along with my bag and brown kitten heels. I wasn't that into fashion, but Alice had given me guidance on my work outfits, keeping them comfortable but stylish and still… me. Besides, if I didn't put forth the effort, my fashonista friend would be here daily to dress me.  
No lie.  
I put my damp hair up into a loose bun and headed downstairs, barefoot and hungry. Rose had a mug of coffee waiting on me and was plating some scrambled eggs.  
"Hope you don't mind, but I didn't make any meat, it would stink up the house. But I made toast and there's some fruit on the table."  
She was so cute all domestic in the kitchen, "Thanks, honey," I said, giving her a wink.  
"Watch it, lady. I'm taken," she laughed back at me.  
I sat and took a long sip of the black coffee before adding sugar to it. I needed that first jolt of the coffee bitterness to wake me up. The shower had helped some, but there was nothing like a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

Rose sat next to me at the small kitchen table, it was just barely a four seater. In these old homes, the kitchens were for cooking in, not eating in. They had a large dining room, but had managed to get a small table and chairs into the kitchen. I suspected Rose didn't like sitting at the big dining room table alone, since she and Em worked opposite shifts.  
"So, spill," she was eating fruit and giving me the stink eye.  
I put down my fork and relayed to her all that had transpired between myself and Edward at lunch and then between Edward and Jacob and Jacob and I after. I told her I had a date with Jacob Friday and that I was actually looking forward to it.  
"It'll be nice, Rose, to finally invest my time in someone who actually can be seen with me in public." She was taking my now empty plate to put it in the sink. Em would be home soon and he always cleaned the kitchen for her. Like I said before, they are a perfect fit.  
"Well, Bella, I wish you would have been honest about your feelings with Edward, but I'm glad you have a date with this Jake guy. Might be just what you need."  
I stood and pushed in my chair, it was nearly seven and Rose was going to head out soon.  
"I hope so, at the very least, he is a gorgeous distraction," I wiggled my eyebrows at her and she laughed so hard she snorted at me, "Yeah, I can't wait to meet him. By the way you describe him, he sounds more built then Emmett, and if his hands are as big as you say… ooooh girl, there will be a nice surprise waiting for you when you get in his pants!  
Now, it was my turn to snort and laugh, although, truth be told, I had already considered that.  
"Hey! You should bring him to our Halloween party in a couple of weeks! Then everyone can meet him, if you want to, that is."

I thought about it for a moment, Edward and Jessica were likely to be at the party, so it would be nice to have my own date. If it got too uncomfortable, all we would have to do is go upstairs.  
And there was the chance that Edward might get a little bit jealous – Bonus!  
I was liking the idea of inviting Jake more and more.

"Sure, if the date goes well on Friday, I'll ask him about it, ok?"  
"Cool."  
Just then the front door slammed close, "Honnneeeey, I'm home!" Emmett was through the kitchen doorway before Rose could even respond, and had her wrapped in his arms into a huge hug. As he spun her around, he looked at me over her shoulder, "Hey! BellaBean! How's it going?"

Yeah, that was just one of the many nicknames he had for me…

"Fine, Emmett. I was just finishing up breakfast with your bride, she's a good little wifey, you should keep her around."  
He placed her feet back on the ground and looked into her eyes, "I intend to. How long you got, little wifey?"  
Rose looked at the kitchen clock, "Five, ten minutes … TOPS!"  
"All I need! Bye Belly! You can find your way out!" He had hoisted Rose over his shoulder and was making a b-line for the bedroom. That was my cue to get the hell out of there.  
"Bye guys! I'll be upstairs, with the radio on… Loudly!"

Before I could get the music blaring, I heard the bed creak downstairs and Rose giggling like a fiend. Those two were so damn cute, they killed me.  
Maybe, just maybe, one day, I'll have the same thing.

XOXOXOXOXOX

The day moved along without a single visit from Mike, for which I was eternally grateful. I was leaving early to make the drive home to Forks. I would make it in time for an early dinner at four-thirty with dad and then could be back on the road a few hours later to be home by eleven. It was a pain, but I hadn't visited him in about a month, so I really needed to get over to see him. Plus, his weekends were spent fishing and watching sports, neither of which I enjoyed. So, dinner in the middle of the week it was. Besides, he promised next time he would come to Seattle, it was a fair trade.

He had told me to come to the house, we were having dinner there instead at the greasy spoon in town. Apparently, his new girlfriend, Sue Clearwater, was cooking and we might even be eating like proper folk in the dining room. I was happy that Charlie was settling down and letting someone other than Billy Black into his life. He had been alone for too long.

When I pulled up to his house at four fifteen, having made excellent time, there were two cars in the driveway besides his police cruiser. I assumed the four door sedan was Sue's. It had one of those license plate holders with ladybugs and flowers on it. But there was a red pick-up truck next to it. I was too busy looking at it to notice the screen door to the house open and close. As I turned my attention back to the house, I ran into a wall… a tall, fleshy wall full of muscle.

_No fucking way…. _ "Jake?" He was standing in front of me, on the top step.  
"Hey Bella, nice surprise, huh?" He was giving me that huge grin again.  
_My, he has some very white teeth…_

I shook my head, trying to break the spell his pearly whites had me under, "What are you doing here? Who's truck?" I asked as he pulled me into a brief, but warm, hug.  
"The truck is one I worked on for dad today. His other one finally bit the dust. And, well, dad said Charlie and Sue invited us, a welcome home dinner for me. Plus," he lowered his voice and leaned into my ear, "I think Sue is hoping to play matchmaker. With us."  
I blinked a few times, processing, "Oh… OH! Oh Jake, I don't know…"  
"Don't worry Bella, I get it. And they don't know about Edward, do they?"  
"No, I mean, they know he is my friend and all, but not, well… anything else."

At that moment, my dad appeared at the screen door, "Well, you two, are you gonna get your asses in here or should we serve you your dinner on the porch?"  
I laughed and relaxed immediately.  
My dad was a gruff guy, but had a huge heart, and I knew if I had wanted to eat on the porch, he would bring me a chair and a snack tray and then sit out here and keep me company. Although, this time, I knew he was being just a little sarcastic, so I responded, "Well, at least we aren't eating your regular feast of greasy gut bombs in town, now that you have a woman to cook for your lazy ass!"  
He looked at me sternly before his moustache twitched and he broke into a grin, "Bella you had better watch that mouth of yours… now get over here and hug your old man."

He opened the door and then opened his arms to me. I forgot how much I had missed my dad and standing here, in his arms, I was reminded of how safe I had always felt in his home and how it would be so nice to go back up to my old room, climb into bed and forget all about Edward Cullen, Jessica Stanley and that creep, Mike Newton.  
"I see you met Jake." He stepped back and ushered Jake and I through the door.  
"Yeah, funny story, we sort of... ran into each other yesterday, in Seattle," I said to my dad as I followed him into the kitchen. Sue was standing at the stove, in the same place I used to stand and cook for Charlie, but now she had the whole thing under control. She smiled at me, "Hi Bella! How are you?" She leaned out for a one armed hug, since she had a knife in the other hand. I hugged her back, "Good Sue. Dinner smells great!"  
"Lasagna, bread and salad. Tuesdays are Italian nights in the Swan house," she winked over my shoulder at Charlie.  
Yeah, not sure what that was about, but I really do not want to know.  
_Just… ewwwww…_

Charlie cleared his throat behind me, I turned and he handed me a canned soda, "You said you ran into Jake, yesterday?"

Jake was in the kitchen doorway. He looked a little uncomfortable and I realized that he may not have wanted anyone to know he was in Seattle, since I never did get the scoop on why he had been there in the first place. Besides playing Superman, that is.

As I stood with my mouth frozen, not sure what to say, Jacob stood up from where he was leaning and walked over to me, "Yeah, Charlie, I went to Seattle before coming home, wanted to see if things had changed, you know? Bella was on her way back from lunch with… a friend… and ran right into me! I had to keep her from falling over!"

Charlie guffawed, "That sounds like Bella! She'll trip over her own feet walking in a straight line!" Now they were both laughing at me... and I swore Sue was snickering while she stood at the sink.  
_Not cool._

"Ok, ok, you two… enough of that. Besides, have you seen how broad this guy is? He can barely fit through the doorway, I could hardly avoid running into him!"  
"So, then what's your excuse for staring at my ass as I walked away?"  
_Oh no he didn't…  
_Yes, yes, he did.  
Charlie was now choking on the swig of beer he had just taken and Sue was no longer snickering, but was in a full on belly laugh.  
"What's all the cackling in here?" Billy, Jake's dad had wheeled into the kitchen. He was in a wheel chair, had been for years.  
"Jake here is telling us how Bella ran into him and was then checking out his ass in Seattle yesterday, did you know about this?" Charlie clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder.  
"Can't say that I did," he looked to Jake, "Why were you in Seattle? You didn't mention it."  
Jake shifted uncomfortable next to me and I could tell all the joking had left him now.  
"Just, you know, checking stuff out, seeing how much has changed. Hey, Sue, do you need help there?" He turned to Sue who accepted his offer and effectively ended the conversation. I'm pretty sure that had been Jake's plan all along.

We sat in the rarely used dining room to have dinner. Dad was at the head of the table with Sue to his right and me to his left. Billy was next to Sue and Jake next to me. Conversation flowed over dinner, which was freaking delicious, and occasionally I would feel Jake's thigh brush mine.

At first I assumed he was just looking for leg space, after all, he needed it. But then it was happening too regularly and I knew it was on purpose. I looked to my left and caught his eye, he just smirked at me and moved his leg again, this time leaving it against mine.  
Jacob Black was flirting with me and I quite liked it. I liked it a lot.

After dinner I helped Sue clean the kitchen while the guys talked sports in the den. I liked Sue, she was good for Charlie, she was kind and friendly and kept my dad in line.  
"Bella, I'm glad you came for dinner. Your dad has been missing you, although he would never admit it."  
"Yeah, I missed him, too. I forgot how much, actually. He looks really happy, Sue. I probably have you to thank for that." I handed her a glass I had washed and she dried it, putting it into the cabinet. She was ginning like a love stuck school girl.  
Dear God. She loved my dad.  
"Yeah, he's a good man, Bella."  
As I washed the lasagna pan I thought about something I saw in the upstairs bathroom earlier. I blew it off at the time, but now…  
"Sue, is that your shampoo and bath soap in the shower upstairs?" I stole a glance over to her and she was turning bright red…  
_Ah-ha! Caught them!_

I probably should have thought it was creepy thinking about my dad and Sue getting it on… ok, now that I've said it, I do sort of… but I mostly just think it rocks. It was about time.  
I laughed out loud, "You know, he did seem a lot more relaxed tonight than usual… hmmm… must be all that stress relief…"  
"Bella!"  
Sue laughed along with me and swatted me with the drying towel as Charlie walked in, "What are you two laughing about in here?" He was eyeballing the two of us with his hands on his hips, I'm sure we looked guilty of something and his super cop senses were probably tingling.  
"Nothing, dad… just commenting on how relaxed you seem to be tonight. It's like, all the stress as just, left your body. Have you started a new exercise routine or something? I hear elevating the heart rate is good for reducing stress."  
Sue was next to me, her body shaking while she held back the laughter from escaping her lips. I fought to control my expression, feigning concern rather than grinning at him like I caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.

It took him about thirty seconds of looking at Sue, then me, then Sue, before he put it together.

"Oh Bella! That is just not right! Oh, man! What? Why would you talk about that? That is so inappropriate. Shit…" he turned and stomped out of the room and I slid on to the floor laughing so hard I thought I might pee myself.

I had tears streaming down my face when Jake walked in, "Hey, your dad is like the brightest shade of red I have ever seen anyone before, should we be concerned?"

I looked up at the handsome guy in front of me. If Edward was Adonis, Jacob was … Thor… with his muscles and broad chest and shoulders. His dark hair was cut quite short, but I liked it, and I was finally noticing the beauty in his deep brown, almost black, eyes. And that smile. And the hands. I realized that I was once again gaping at him and this time also felt tingling in the girl parts while I did it, which was something new. I was used to feeling that way for only one man. Sure, I dated Riley for a couple of years and, at the time, he was great and all. But after we broke up and I looked back on our relationship, I realized he had never really turned me on, not completely. But now Jacob Black was doing it to me, and I was speechless.

"Bella?" Apparently, my lack of speech had him concerned, "Are you ok? I mean, first Charlie, now you. You too sure can turn red."  
_Shit!  
_My face was on fire. I was blushing and he noticed…  
And now I was blushing harder.  
I tried getting up off the floor, but tripped over my foot on the way up and fell directly into Jake's chest.  
_Shit, shit!  
_Jake cleared his throat, "We really need to stop meeting like this, Bells."  
_No WAY!_

That's right, he called me by the pet name only Edward used, and strangely, I felt no inclination to tell him to not use it again. I liked it when he said it.  
I felt Sue walk by us and out of the room, I guess she thought we were having a moment.  
_Were we? Were we having a moment?_

Let's face it, Jake is a very lovely distraction. But was it fair to use him as a distraction until I got this mess figured out with Edward? I wasn't so sure.  
"Jacob, I think we really need to talk."  
He released my arms and stepped back, looking very serious and I realized I liked seeing him smile the most.  
"Ok, Bella, fair enough. I clearly have gotten into the middle of something with you and… well… anyway. If you want to cancel Friday, that's fine."  
"No!"… Yeah, I totally yelled it out… "Um, I mean, no, I still want to go on out Friday, really."  
He gave me his big Jake grin, "Cool!"

A while later, it was time for me to start the drive home, so I hugged my dad and Sue goodbye and headed for the door. Jacob announced he would walk me to my car and I saw Billy and my dad exchange a very mischievous look. Little conspirators.

We got to my car and Jake leaned against the side while I through my stuff on the passenger seat.  
"A Volkswagen, huh? I rebuilt a Rabbit in high school. My aunt still drives it sometimes." I found it odd that I cared what he thought about my car, and I liked that he approved of it.  
"Yeah, I always thought they were cute. When I got the job at Newton Publishing after graduation a few years ago, I bought it for myself. She's my baby." A ran a hand over the top of my car and stopped a few inches from where Jakes back was resting against it, my finger tips gently grazing his arm.  
He turned towards me and cupped my cheek in his hand. He was so warm, I found myself leaning into his palm. "Bells, I want to be honest with you, I do. I just have a lot of… baggage… and I don't want you to feel you have to stick around through it, put up with it, you know?"

All I knew was I liked Jake's hand on my face and his smell, pine and salt air mixed with the Italian scent from dinner, "Jacob, this is new for both of us and I wasn't planning on proclaiming my undying love for you. Let's just agree to have fun and see where this takes us. As long as you aren't an ax murderer, I think I can handle whatever you throw at me and you can tell me about your baggage when you are ready to, ok?"  
After all, we both had our share of parcels to unload.

"Fair enough, Bella." And with that he leaned in and gently brushed his lips against mine. It was strange, something so soft and light from someone his size. I had no doubt he could throw me over his shoulder and have his way with me, like Emmett did with Rose, but he was controlled and tentative, and it was very endearing.  
And sexy as hell.

I wanted nothing more than to lose my self in the kiss, and as soon as I had mustered enough courage to part my lips in a bid to take the kiss deeper, he pulled away, "Well, I guess I will see you Friday, then," he said while smirking down at me.

_What. The. Fuck.  
Bastard.  
_My girl parts were on fire and he STOPPED! Damn it!

I think I pouted.  
No, I know I pouted because he ran his finger along my bottom lip and looked at it for a heartbeat too long. I thought for sure he was going to take it into his mouth, suck on it while pressing my body against the car. But no such luck. He stood up and removed his hand from my face.

I had no choice but to gather myself, "Um, yeah. Friday it is." Bloody hell.  
I got into the car and buckled up, he hit the top of the car twice and I back out, waiving at him before pulling away.

I turned my phone back on, having turned it off when I got to dad's. He hates cell phones during dinner. I had a couple of messages from Alice reminding me about tomorrow and one from Rose.  
It was the one from Jake that I chose to open while I sat at the red light:  
**_Drive safe beautiful. Can't wait for Friday. I might just have to suck on that pouty bottom lip of yours. – Laters, J_**

Oh yeah, it was going to be a long, uncomfortable drive back to Seattle.  
Crap.

* * *

**A/N...  
So, as the synopsis stated, this is a Bella and Edward story... so, please don't get confused.  
And the cheating was limited to the first chapter and then talking of it as we go on... but that is about it. And let's face it, we all know Jessica is an evil twit and needs to be pitched in the ocean. LOL  
Thanks for taking the time to read and review.  
M~**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all!  
Welcome back. Thanks for joining me on this writing journey.  
As always, I don't own any of these characters. I just listen to them, in my head.  
Does that make me crazy?  
Hmmmm...**

* * *

Chapter 5

Today it was my dinner date with Alice.  
I was standing in front of my closet in my underwear when my phone rang, the lyrics to "Brown Eyed Girl" filling my quiet apartment space.  
It had only been two days since we had our fight and I wasn't ready to talk to him yet. But, with that said, I still had the familiar flutter in my belly.  
I ignored the call.

And when it stopped ringing, I felt sad. After all, we had been friends for so long, not talking to him was like not breathing. We had just allowed things to get so out of control.

Scratch that… **_I_** had allowed things to get so out of control. I can see that now. I allowed Edward to cross that line; not that he wasn't at fault as well, but I could have stopped it before it went too far.  
"Damn it," I said out loud, "you are a fucking idiot, Swan."

On the drive home last night, I called Phil. I hadn't talked to him in a month. I felt bad since he had once been a big part of my life. After mom died and I moved back to Forks, I always made the effort to stay in touch with him. After all, it was Phil that had mended my scrapped knees when I repeatedly fell off my bike when I was a little girl and he was there, beside my mom, taking pictures of me heading out on my first date at 13. He held me as I sobbed when my mom died and he was one of the most honest people I knew. Talking to him was just, well, easy and made me feel close to my mom, like she was still here with me.

Phil usually had great advice so, although I didn't get into specifics, I gave him enough information for him to form an opinion of my current situation.  
"Bella, you know what I always say.."  
I laughed as he repeated the sentiment back to me that I had quoted just a few days ago.  
"… piss or get off the pot. If this guy can't see you for the wonderful woman you are, then screw him. Move on. It sounds like that Jake guy might be good for you."  
"Yeah, maybe I just need a change. So, how are you doing?" I really liked my stepdad, though I'm not sure if that was what I should still consider him now that mom was gone. Regardless, he would always be dear to my heart.  
"Doing ok, working and golfing, the usual."  
"You aren't dating anyone?" I was sure he wasn't, but hoped his answer might change.  
"No," he sighed, "no one could ever compare to your mom. There is no sense in trying." And that's another reason why I loved this guy, he loved my mom, even a decade after her death.  
"Well, she would want you out there, Phil, having fun. Getting laid."  
He guffawed in to the phone, "Not sure if that is a conversation I want to be having with you Isabella, but don't worry, Miss Ayers from billing comes to visit every now and again."  
Now it was my turn to guffaw, "Ok, no more of that talk! That is just T.M.I., Phil!"  
"Hey, you started it."

After we hung up, I felt even better about my date with Jake and that I had made the right decision with Edward. He needed to get his life straightened out and if I was there for him when he did, great. If not; his loss.  
Piss or get off the pot.  
I was moving on.  
And ignoring Edward's call.

My phone chimed letting me know I had a new voicemail.  
I stood there still in my underwear, with Phil's voice from last night still in my head telling me to "move on", and stared at the phone in my hand.  
"Agh!" Fine.  
I pressed 'Play'.  
There was a long intake of breath and then he spoke.  
_"Bella, um, hey. It's me, Edward. Well, um, you probably know that already. Anyway, so I wanted to just apologize again. I know I need to get all of this worked out. I don't know what to do, I could really use my best friend right now. Have you seen her?"_  
He chuckled at his lame excuse of a joke. It was an awkward chuckle and then he sighed, _"Yeah, ok, well…. Call me, soon, ok? I miss my friend. I'm sorry. Please call."_

And that was it.

I hit delete before I could think about saving it to replay it again and again; and then turned back to the task at hand.  
"What to wear?"

….

"Bellaaaaa, how was your _dad_?"  
Mike Freaking Newton was at my desk, butt leaned on the edge and smirking at me. He still figured I was lying about my dad being sick. Well, ok, I was, but I had to, I mean, this guy is the Mayor of Creepsville.

"Um, heyyyyyy Mike. He's good. Doing better…?" Not sure why it came out a question, except that his close proximity to me gave me the hebie-jebies. I was suddenly thankful that I was so uninspired in my wardrobe today that I had selected a nondescript pair of khaki's and a plain white button down, nothing flashy or revealing. However, I did have a Kelly green cardigan to go over it for dinner. Hey, I was meeting Alice, I didn't need to hear about my lack luster selection of clothing for today; the cardigan will spruce it up and keep her from bitching at me.

He leaned over, putting his right hand on the edge of my desk, in front of me, and his left hand on the back of my chair.  
"Mmm-hmm. Well," he lowered his voice, "I wanted to let you know, I have to go down to L.A. to meet an author. My parents want me to bring one of the Junior Editors that I might think is an up and comer. I thought of you, of _course,_" he dropped his voice, I think it was an in attempt to be _alluring_?  
**_Bleck._**  
I would have found Darth Vader asking me to be his Queen and rule the Death Star with him a more appealing offer. _I always was a sucker for a guy in black…  
_"Mike, I … uhhhh… appreciate the offer. But I really can't leave town… you know, my dad and all."  
_I'm so going to hell for lying about my dad…_

He stood up and I swore I saw a flash of anger cross his face, then he cracked a smile, "No worries, Bella, I will just ask Jenna. She seems to be showing an interest in moving up in the ranks."  
Yeah, if "Moving Up" meant what I thought it did, I was quite content with lying low, in the trenches.  
"Ok, well, thanks for the offer," I tried to smile and sound sincere. Honest.  
Mike took a breath and left.

I knew that Mike's behavior was borderline harassment, but, I mean how would I prove it? He just creeped me out and you can't report someone for creeping you out… can you?

After work, I drove a couple of miles to meet Alice at a small French bistro that she loved. She was patiently waiting for me by the door. By "patient" I mean pacing and checking her phone. She had already texted me twice. The original plan was that she was going to pick me up and we would ride together, but she had scheduled a new client for today and we decided to just meet up at six.

Alice tends to be a little on the high energy side.  
Ok, truth?  
She's a fucking spaz with a severe case of A.D.D. and a minor case of insomnia.  
Not being able to sit still and sleeping only about four hours a night, means she has taken on multiple jobs to keep herself busy. She is a buyer for a small boutique and a personal shopper for about a half dozen high brow clients; plus, she is designing her own clothing line for the "Twenty-Something Girl".  
She is also talking to a few on-line fashion magazines about her own articles and considering creating a fashion blog of her own.  
The woman does not rest.  
And now, she is about to turn Tornado Alice on me.  
I walked to the door as casually as I could, "Hey Alice."  
She stopped pacing and looked at me, with a hand on her hip, "About time!"

"Nice to see you as well," I said as sarcastically as I could.  
Alice stopped and smiled at me, "Sorry, Bella, I'm just stressed, only slept two hours last night and this new client, she is going to make my life hell. Here," she handed me one of two canvas totes she had on the ground. All of her plans for the wedding were in these two pink floral canvas totes, and mine felt like it weighed fifty pounds. I have no idea how the little pipsqueak managed to carry two of them. I was short at five-four. But Alice was a couple of inches smaller than me; and a couple of sizes smaller. Although, you wouldn't know she was shorter than me since she was wearing six inch heals, which meant she was currently looking down on me.  
"Ready?" She smiled and asked.  
"Lead the way Mein Fuhrer," I responded. Alice shot me a dirty look, I didn't care, it was funny. I mean, I really think we should have called that 'Bridezillas' show, Alice Cullen would have made great TV.

We made it to the hostess station and Alice instructed her to sit us at a booth, in the back, the ones that sat six. Apparently, we needed the room and were bunkering down for the night. The hostess was smart and didn't roll her eyes at Alice's request. Alice and Jasper came here regularly and I would assume that the girl knew if she smiled and did as she was asked, there was a fat tip in it for her at the end of the night. Alice might be demanding, but she was generous.

We were shown to the back booth and the hostess personally took our drink order and instructed our server to get us a fresh basket of the French baguette slices.

We each got our drinks, Alice a white wine and myself a diet cola. Then Alice opened the three inch binder with all of her wedding plans and turned to her checklist.  
"OK, so, we have your dress ordered and the tux for Edward. Flowers are ordered," she checked items off the list as she went. Esme and I had tried convincing Alice to get a wedding planner, they could afford it. Esme and Carlisle were well off and Jasper was doing well at the law firm.

Jasper was a first year attorney at a prominent Seattle firm. He was always very smart and very driven, he got through law school in record time and passed the bar the first time through.  
Scratch that, he wasn't **_very smart_**, he was freaking brilliant. He wanted to go into family law and have his own practice. He was one of those rare attorneys that wasn't in it for the money, but for the chance to help people.

Anyway, Alice scoffed at the idea of anyone but herself planning her wedding. Well, herself and me, that is. Not that I was that much help. I usually just smiled and nodded. Even when she had me try on two dozen dresses before settling on the light blue satin floor length dress, I never said I disliked any of them. Disagreeing with Alice would just lengthen the agonizing process.

Nope, I kept my mouth shut.

Tonight was no exception to that rule. I nodded agreement when she said she wanted the swan ice sculpture and the champagne fountain. She was inviting about a hundred people to the ceremony and reception, both to be held at the AlexisHotel, and was planning this to be the event of the year.

I sat across from Alice as she jabbered on and on about colors of this and sizes of that; I had just taken a long draw off my drink when, without looking up, Alice asked, "So Bella, how long have you and Edward been doing the nasty?"

I choked on my soda and it ended up spraying across the table.  
"Fuck, Bella!" Alice huffed as she grabbed her napkin and proceeded to wipe down the binder and table.

I was still coughing, "Sorry! Um, what… what did you just ask me?"  
Alice looked up at me and rolled her eyes, "Jeez Bella, I'm not blind. I mean, sure Jasper and Emmett seem to be completely blind to what's going on with the two of you, but I'm not. I'll bet Rose knows, too."

I just sat there, mouth opening and closing like a damned guppy gasping for air.  
Damn it.  
Double damn it.

When I finally found my voice, I coyly replied, "I have no idea what you are talking about, Alice."  
She scoffed at me as she finished cleaning the sprayed soda off her wedding book, "Bella, please. Don't bullshit me or I swear I will put you in that lime green taffeta dress."  
I vaguely remembered that dress. It was hideous. But she would do it, she didn't care. Fuck me.

We were interrupted by the server bringing us our quiches with side salads which gave me time to think. I mean, there wasn't much I could think of to say but the truth, but it was nice to have the brief reprieve to gather my thoughts.

"Spill," Alice said as she forked some of her spring salad into her mouth.  
"Jeez Al, I don't know what you want me to say here. So, your brother and I hook up sometimes. It's… complicated. Confusing. I don't know. But after Sunday I put an end to it, I can't deal with seeing him walk out, back to Jessica the Bitch over and over."  
"Cause you love him." She was chewing and staring at me.  
"What?! Noooooo…." I mean, really, what the hell?  
"And he loves you."  
Ok, this was just getting ridiculous.  
"No, Alice, he does not." Just the thought of it was… well… preposterous. He was with Jessica and there was no changing his mind on that, clearly.  
Alice gave me another exaggerated eye roll, "Pul-leese Bella, you and Edward are apparently the only two that don't see you two belong together. Well, you both and the Bitch. But she's clueless anyway."

We ate in silence for a few minutes while I thought about what she said to me.  
"Rose knows. We talked on Sunday. And Edward and I, well, argued at lunch Monday. I told him to leave me alone until he gets his shit together," I didn't look up from my food.  
"Ok."

We picked up talking about wedding plans as we finished our dinner and our plates were cleared. As we walked out of the restaurant an hour or so later, I found the courage to bring up our topic from earlier, "Alice, you know, it really doesn't matter what everyone does or doesn't see. Edward has chosen Jessica and I, well, I have a date on Friday. I'm moving on."  
We were at Alice's car and she put the wedding stuff in her trunk before turning back to me.  
"Really? Who is it?"  
I smiled, thinking of Jacob, "Jacob Black. He's Billy's son."  
Alice looked up for a moment, like she was trying to pull a memory from the air, "I remember the name, he moved away when he was a teenager, right?"  
"Yeah, I haven't gotten the story, but, he's back now. I ran into him on Monday, coming out of the diner after my argument with Edward. Literally, I ran RIGHT INTO HIM."  
Alice was laughing at me, "Nice one, Bella."  
"Well, anyway, I'm hoping he'll be my plus one for your wedding," I smiled at her and hugged her neck.  
"Yeah, well, I'm hoping for a romantic moment from you and my brother. No offense to Jacob."  
"Dream on bestie," I smacked her arm and opened her car door for her.  
"Bella, you should consider telling him how you feel. You could be surprised by his reaction."

That was the second time this week I was told Edward might surprise me. However, my gut said if he did, it wouldn't be in a good way. It was better I kept this information to myself.  
I closed the door and Alice started her car then rolled down the window, "Love you."  
I smiled back at her, but my head was somewhere else, "You too. Thanks for dinner."  
"Hey, what are best friends for?"

I pulled into my driveway and was less than pleased to see Edward's car waiting in the driveway. I hoped he was there to see Emmett. But I was sure he wasn't. The good news was, if he was driving, he wasn't drinking. So this wasn't one of his fucked up booty calls.  
I pulled into my space next to the house and climbed out of my car. I was tired and was in no mood to deal with him, but there he was, sitting on the steps that led up to my door.

"Hey," his voice was soft. As he stood, the back porch light shone across his face. I could see circles under his eyes. His hair was messier than normal and his shirt was untucked and haphazardly rolled at the sleeves.

"Edward," I replied with as much contempt as I could muster as I pushed past him to climb the stairs to my door. He grabbed my arm and stopped me. I froze, but I refused to turn around and look at him. I knew if I looked into those green eyes I would see sadness there and the block of ice I had built around my heart would start to thaw.

"Bells, please talk to me. Above everything else, you are my best friend. I need my best friend. I don't know who else to go to."

My heart started to beat quickly and I closed my eyes, willing myself to stand firm. I was not giving in to him.  
Not this time. Not until they were done.  
No more living in the land of DeNile for me, I accepted the ugly truth and was moving on.  
_Piss or get off the pot…  
_  
"Edward, then I suggest to find a way to get closer to Jazz or hang with your brother. I can't," my voice cracked.  
_Damn it!  
_I sucked in a breath and pulled my arm from him, "I can't be that for you right now. Maybe later. But not… not now."

I took my steps two at a time, got the door unlocked and had it slammed closed before the tears started falling from my eyes.  
I threw the lock on the door and made my way into my room, throwing myself down on the bed, by phone chimed, letting me know I had a text.

**I'm sorry. I hope we can get back to where we were. I love you - you are the very best friend I have ever had. – E**

I refused to respond and nearly threw the phone against the wall when it rang, but it wasn't the ring tone I expected. It was the generic one I had set up. Well, as generic as "She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult was.  
I was an 80's girl at heart.

I looked at the phone and saw it was Jacob. Immediately my heart skipped. I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand and composed myself before answering.  
"Hey you!" I said, pushing away the sadness that had started creeping in.  
"Hey beautiful. How are you?"  
His voice was like being wrapped in a fur blanket, warm and cozy.  
"I'm better now," I said, kicking off my shoes and settling back on my bed.  
"What are you up to?" His voice dropped a little lower, a little sexier.  
"Jacob Black, are you hitting on me over the phone? I haven't had anything to drink, so you are not getting phone sex from me."  
He laughed, and it was a rich sound that crawled across me leaving goose bumps down my arms.  
"Duly noted, get Bella drunk and THEN have phone sex with her. Although," his voice dropped again, "I would prefer that it happen in person and that you're sober."  
I shuddered.  
While I had kept Edward on the proverbial sex god pedestal all these years, I was determined to push that aside, and I was pretty sure that Jacob was the fellow to help me move on.  
"Only if you feel lucky," I responded adding as much of the sex kitten to my voice as I could. I was so bad at it, but I had listened to Rose enough, I could mock her pretty well.  
"Hmmm," I heard him shifting where he was sitting, probably on the bed in Billy's guest room, "I **_am_** feeling a little lucky."  
_Damn_

I quickly realized that I wasn't ready to go down the path this conversation was headed. I better get it under control and quick, so I decided to change the subject, "So, where are we going Friday?"  
Jacob chuckled, "I see what you just did there."  
"What?" I feigned innocence.  
"Mmm-hmmm, changing the subject, you sneak. Ok, well, I figured I will come pick you up on my bike and take you to dinner."  
"Bike? Wont it be cold?"  
Sure I grew up in this god forsaken frozen and wet part of the world, but it didn't mean I had to subject myself to the elements any more than necessary. And the back of a motorcycle was not necessary.  
"Bells," he was back to that sex voice again, low and soft, "Trust me. I'll keep you warm."

Yup.  
There went the goose bumps again.  
I had no doubt that Jacob Black would keep me warm on Friday, in more ways… and places… than one.

* * *

**A/N...**  
**Lot's of followers, making me happy! Please leave me some kindness, too.**  
**And YES, I know there was cheating and YES I know this is a B&E story...**  
**The cheating is over and we will get to them... eventually.**  
**All my stories will always have a happy B&E ending, even if we have to go the long way around our elbow to get there.**  
**Trust me! **  
_**Seriously...**_  
_**Just trust me...**_  
**I won't do you wrong.**  
**;-)**

**BTW - I started a FB page...RvrSong FanFiction... friend me, I have pics posted there for "When It All Changes" and will make an album for "Under My Skin" soon.  
Thanks again!  
~M~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi All!  
This is the first of what I hope to be two if not three posts this weekend. :)  
It's date night for Bella and Jacob.  
For any that are confused, this IS a B&E Story, as I stated before; sometimes we just take a little while to get there.  
As always, I don't own the original characters.**

* * *

Chapter 6

Thursday was uneventful.  
In fact, it was so uneventful, that I found myself continually checking my pulse. I wanted to make sure that I was alive and not some ghost-like being that was just repeatedly living the same hour over and over again like some underworld version of "Ground Hog Day".

Of course, the ridiculousness of my thoughts made me laugh.  
I was currently half way through editing the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. The new, young author was promising and the story should be a big seller, with the popularity of vampires, werewolves and the like these days. Mike had actually found the author on his own, amazing, but true. He was earning his keep.

Mid afternoon, I got up from my desk and stretched. I was scheduled to work late today and my Cobb salad had long since worn off. I needed a snack. And caffeine. Pulling my phone from my desk drawer I checked my personal emails and Facebook as I walked down the hall to our break room. I grabbed a package of cheese crackers and a diet soda and stood at the counter. I loved the funny pictures people posted on their Facebook accounts. In fact, I was laughing at one of those 'Grumpy Cat' pictures when I heard high heels walk in behind me. I locked my phone, sliding it into my pocket, and turned around to see our head of human resources, Tanya Gillium. She was one of my least favorite people, besides Mike; she had a weird vibe about her. But, I played nice, always best with the person who could find fifty ways to can you or delay your paycheck.

"Hey Tanya. How's it going?"  
Tanya turned from the fridge, with a light yogurt in her hand.  
Light yogurt.  
I chocked back a laugh. Tanya was a few inches taller than me and at least twice the width. She was in her late thirties and shoved herself into clothes that were clearly a size too small, her breasts always pouring from the top of a low cut blouse. Her hair was bottle blonde, and not the good kind of bottle blonde. She had fried it and it lay in haphazard waves half way down her back, three different shades of yellow frizz.  
And don't even get me started on the amount of makeup she wore. Tammy Faye Baker had nothing on Tanya Gillium.

She pulled off the top of her yogurt and grabbed a plastic spoon she took from the drawer in the counter, closing it with her large hip, before responding.  
"Bella. Things are good. How about you?" She asked, not bothering to look up at me, too busy stirring the fruit off the bottom I suppose.  
"Good, good. Just, you know, keeping busy."  
I started to gather up my half empty cracker pack and my soda to walk out when she looked up at me. Her ice blue eyes narrowed, "Oh yeah, taking care of your dad, right?"  
_What the hell?_

"Um, sure. How did you know about that?"  
"I know a lot of things going on around here. It's my job," she scoffed at me.  
_Bitch  
_  
"I guess it is. Well, I better get back to it." I was nearly out the door when she spoke again.  
"Bella," her tone was frigid. I turned to look at her, "Yeah?"  
This was borderline ridiculous. I had rarely ever spoken to this woman, and now she is giving me this cloak and dagger line of _"I know things"._  
What the hell?  
Taking a step towards me, she raised her spoon and pointed it at me.  
"You need to watch out, for Mike. I know you are interested in him, but he IS your boss. I really recommend that you back down. You know, from a professional stand point. It just doesn't look good."

Ok, this just passed the border into Stupid Land. She honestly thought I was interested in the sleaze ball? I was dumb struck, not believing what I was hearing. I had heard rumors that Tanya and Mike were thing, years back. It was before I started here. Clearly, she was still into him. But by the way he prowled my floor, he didn't hold the same fondness for her.  
"Um, Tanya, I have no idea what you may have heard? But I am, by no means, interested in Mike. He's my boss, that's it."

She huffed at me, stepping towards me and the doorway I was currently frozen in, "Sure, Bella. I know you have a thing him. Who wouldn't? I'm letting you know now, be careful. A woman can ruin her career by thinking she can sleep her way to the top." She was in front of me and then slid past me, just barley fitting through the space between myself and the door frame.

I just stood there, mouth hanging open.

What felt like minutes later, in reality it was probably less than sixty seconds, my phone vibrated in my pocket, breaking me from my stupor. I grabbed it so I could see who I got a text from.

It was from Jake:  
**_Hey beautiful. Touching base. Will b busy, unable to talk, but will b by to get you at 6 tomorrow. Ok? Need addrss, dress casual – J_**

I have to be honest.  
The realization that I wouldn't get to talk to Jacob until our date tomorrow made me a little sad. He was like a burst of sunlight into my very dreary life. He broke up the monotony. But what could I say? I guess he had stuff he needed to do, he didn't need a woman he barely knew getting all clingy.

**_Yeah, sure. Tomorrow at 6 is great. :0) – B_**

I sent him my address and then went back to my desk to resume my editing and pulse checking.

XOXOXOXOX

At seven, I pulled into my drive and started up my steps when Rose came around the back of the house. "Hey," she said in an overly cheerful tone, "want some dinner?" I really wasn't in the mood to be alone, so I took my friend up on her offer. Besides it was shepherd pie night. I loved Rose's shepherd pie.

Turning back towards the bottom of the stairs I shrugged, "Sure."  
I followed her up on to her back porch and into the back door that lead into the kitchen.

Kicking off my shoes, I left them at the door and then made it to the small kitchen table. Rose had already set out a bottle of white wine and two glasses.  
"Gee, Rose, are we on a date tonight?" I asked as I poured two glasses of the cheep wine. We weren't picky about what we drank, so long as it wasn't Boone's Farm and didn't fizz. I mean that shit is passable, when you're nineteen. In your mid twenties, you have to move up a little, to the ten dollar stuff.

"Nah, if we were on a date, I'd have gotten the bottle with the cork in it, the good stuff." She walked over with two plates of the meat, potato and vegetable dish. It was still steaming hot, the garlic mashed potatoes covering it setting off an aroma that made my mouth water. I blew on mine, mixing it around to cool it down before I dug in, careful not to burn my mouth.  
We sat in silence for a bit, sipping wine and allowing our dishes to cool, before Rose spoke up.

"So, how are things going?"  
I didn't look up at her, I knew where this was going.  
"I'm assuming you mean with Edward?"  
She forked a carrot then responded, "Well, Edward for one. Plus, you know, your date tomorrow."  
Edward was not something I wanted to talk about right now, so I decided to focus on Jacob.  
"Jake and I are still on for tomorrow. He'll be here to get me at six. Maybe you can meet him?" I thought it would be nice for Rose to meet Jacob. I hoped she would approve of him. I mean, not that he had to have the approval of my friends, but it sure is nice. After all, we all hate Jessica and look at where that has gotten us all.  
I shoveled the delicious food into my mouth as Rose began to speak. I didn't realize how hungry I was and etiquette was clearly the last thing I was thinking of at the moment. I'd have to remember to have a light snack before the date tomorrow. I'd hate to look like a food vacuum in front of Jacob.  
"That would be great, Bella. I think Emmett will be here tomorrow night, too."

I groaned and rolled my eyes. Just what I didn't need; the ever over protective Emmett meeting my date right off the bat. "Rose, can't you keep him busy? Have sex or something? You know he's just going to grill Jacob. And it'll turn into a pissing match since he is just as built as Emmett. Em will never stand for thinking he isn't the most built one around."  
Rose laughed. She knew I was right.  
"True, true. But he already knows you have a date and, believe it or not, humiliating you seems to rank higher than sex with me."

With that thought, I pushed my now empty dish to the side and dropped my head to the table, gently banging my forehead on it.  
Rose reached over and rubbed my head, "Don't think I didn't notice you avoided my question about Edward. He was here last night. What happened?"  
Rolling my head to the side, but keeping it on the table, I looked to my friend, "He wanted to talk. I told him to leave me the fuck alone. That was it."  
Rose poured us each another glass. I sat up long enough to drink it down, and then laid my head back on the table.  
"Bella, he's hurting. I'm not saying he isn't wrong. But I get the impression that he is trying to make some changes, figure things out. Have you reconsidered telling him how you feel about him?"

"No. And I don't think I will. He has too much to worry about right now. I miss him too, Rose. I miss talking to him and being close to him. And I don't mean sexually close, although, I miss that too. I just can't continue being the other woman in his life. We went past friendship into this grey area. I can't live in grey. I need it to be either black or white."

My need for structure was beckoning me to stay away from the chaos known as Edward Anthony Cullen.

Rose sighed, "Well, I still say you need to tell him."  
I stood and grabbed our plates, walking to the sink to wash them for her, hoping to put an end to this conversation as it was going no where but in circles.

"So, how are the plans for the Halloween party?" I hoped my question would sufficiently change the subject.  
Each year Rose and Em through a killer Halloween party. They were always fun and this year, Halloween fell on a Saturday, so it would be even better since no one would have to work the next day.  
"Great! Em has that weekend off so he will be here to help set up. I think we have at least fifty coming. Do you know what you are wearing yet?"  
I scrubbed the dishes and she came over to take them from me, with a towel in her hand she dried them and then put them back in the cabinet.  
"Well, I was thinking sexy school girl?"  
"You were that last year, Bella. Do something else."  
"Sexy nurse?"  
"Nope, I'm going to be that. Try again."  
I huffed, out of ideas. I really wasn't very creative.  
"I have no idea Rose? Sexy teacher?"  
She quirked an eyebrow at me, "Now you are on to something!"

We talked more about our costumes and what I could do to help set up for the party which would be in a little over a week. We made plans to shop the next day for costumes and decorations. Then I bid her a good night and went up to my place to get some much needed sleep.

XOXOXOXOX

Friday was about as fun as Thursday.  
I had tried texting Jake, just to see what he was up to last night, and never heard back. I know he said he would be busy, but I just wanted to try.  
I also considered texting Edward, just to touch base, but stopped myself. In fact, I put the phone in the living room and went to bed, knowing that once I was snuggled in, I would never get up and go for it.

I just couldn't go there with him. Not yet.

The best thing about Friday is that Mike likes to get out early. And since he leaves early, we leave early. It's sort of this unspoken rule. He leaves at two followed by Tanya and other management. We all stick around until about four and then call it a day.

I made it home in record time and ran up my stairs to get ready for my date. I wanted to shower again and I was still trying to figure out what to wear. I knew we would be on his bike. That, of course, meant motorcycle appropriate shoes and clothing. Great.

I got out of the shower and picked out a matching set of black lace underwear, putting them on quickly. Then, I set to digging through the bottom of my closet. I rarely got rid of clothing and shoes, unless they were completely worn through. And I never got rid of expensive things. This is why I still had my pair of Doc Marten 3-hole shoes in ox blood red. Yes, I went through the obligatory "Grunge" faze like everyone else in the vicinity of Seattle and I had the shoes to prove it. But honestly, I figured they would be the safest on the bike. Plus they were comfortable and looked bad ass. Let's face it; I need all the bad ass help I can get.

I pulled on a pair of boot cut jeans, a dark red tank and a black boat neck sweater. The sweater neckline was wide enough you could see the straps of both my black bra and red tank. I set about to drying my hair and applying a light amount of makeup. I was just finishing up tying my shoes when I heard the distinct sound of the motorcycle pulling up to the house. I threw on my hip length black pea coat, buttoned it and then put my messenger tote across my shoulder, adjusting it so it shifted to rest against the back of my right hip. I prayed I would make it down stairs before Emmett got to Jacob.

I rounded the corner to the front porch to see the two men standing over Jake's bike. My breath caught a little when I saw Jacob standing there. His back was to me, which was good, since I'm certain I would have embarrassed myself with the look on my face. I was officially gawking. He was in jeans that fit tight across his ass and thighs. They looked worn in all the right places and had a boot cut that accommodated the black motorcycle boots he was wearing. His black leather jacket was pulled tight across his wide back and creaked, like only leather does, as he moved his arms pointing at things on the bike. He was not normally my type, as opposite of both Edward and Riley as a man could get, but I found I had a flutter low in my belly just the same.

He and Em were so engrossed in their conversation about the bike, I had time to just stand there and admire the pure masculinity of Jacob Black.  
"It's an '85 Harley FXEF Superglide," Jake said, his voice was full of pride.  
Emmett circled it, "No way! There was less that twenty four hundred of these babies made!" He ran his hand lovingly across the leather seats.  
"Yeah. I bought her with graduation money. Then I've spent the last five or six years fixing her up. I added some chrome and some engine mods."

Em blew out a whistle of appreciation.

"I think he wants to screw it," Rose said from behind me on the porch. I hadn't seen her there, so I jumped when I heard her voice. Then I laughed at her astute description of her husband. He did, in fact, look as if he were ready to bed the bike. I made my way to the steps and she met me at the bottom one, shaking her head. "I swear, Bella, boys and their toys."  
Apparently Em heard her, because he looked up and gave her a mischievous grin, "Baby, you know you are my favorite toy of all." Then looking to me he said, "If it isn't the Izzinator!"  
And yes, he did say it in his best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice.

Jacob's back was still to me as he turned his head to look over his left shoulder and flashed me his winning smile.  
"Guess you've met Jacob, then?" I asked as the two guys walked over to me. I noticed that Emmett seemed to be walking a little straighter, his chest puffed out. I looked over at Rose and she gave me a smirk, shaking her head. Clearly Em was fluffing his feathers to prove his male dominance. It was funny to watch.  
"Yeah, Belly, just checking out your ride for the night." He walked to stand next to Rose as Jacob leaned over to kiss me on the cheek, "Hey," he said to me and I swear I had to suppress a giggle. "Hey, yourself."  
Apparently, I had regressed to a fifteen year old girl on her first date.  
God help me.

Rose cleared her throat, effectively breaking me from the trance Jacob's bright smile had put me in, "Oh! Yeah, Jacob Black, this is Rosalie, Emmett's wife… you can call her Rose."  
He held his hand out to her, "Nice to meet you both." Rose politely shook it, "Likewise."

The air changed and felt a little oppressive, heavy. I wasn't sure what was happening, but I felt suddenly uncomfortable. Shifting between my right and my left foot, I looked over to Rose. By the look on her face, I quickly surmised that Rose was clearly 'Team Edward' and that Jacob could have ridden in here with a horse draw carriage, proof he helped a whole village of starving children and throwing money around and he still wouldn't have had Rose's full acceptance.

Oh Well.

Clapping my hands to break the silence, I turned to Jake, "You ready?"  
He turned back to me, "You bet."  
As he took my hand and led me to his bike, Em shouted from behind us, "Take good care of our little girl there! And have her home before eleven!" Then I heard a distinct "Ooof!" and as I turned to look back at my friends on the porch, I noticed Emmett was rubbing his left side and was wincing as if in pain. Rose cocked an eye at me and I just waved back.

Jacob handed me a helmet and cast a look back over his shoulder, "Laters!" With that, he helped me climb on the back of his bike. He climbed on in front of me.  
"Hold on," he said over his shoulder.  
"Jacob Black, do NOT go fast. And warn me before any turns. And no tricks!" I was nervous as hell.  
"Relax Bells. Just wrap your arms around me and hold on. I've got you." He started the bike and as it vibrated fiercely under me, I reached around his torso. Damn his abs were hard as steel. I buried my face in his right shoulder and held on, just as I was instructed.

Twenty minutes later we were parking.  
And I was forcing myself to open my eyes. It's not that I didn't trust Jake, I did. I just hated not feeling in control, and when he rounded those corners. Fuck me. I thought I was going to pee myself.  
Then again, he probably did it on purpose; because, when he did it, I would grab him tighter, pressing my chest into his back and my thighs into his hips.

Damn it, I was played.

"You can let go now, Bella." He chuckled as he removed his helmet. I let my vice grip loosen so he could stand.  
"You really need to relax a little." He said as he removed my helmet and placed both in the saddle bags on either side of the bike. He held a hand out to help me off the bike. "I relax just fine." I said with a pout, for which he reached over and kissed me. I blinked a few times, having not expected the show of affection and he just grinned down at me.

"Come on, this place has the best pizza in the whole North West," he said as he pulled me into a dive of a pizzeria. I had never been to Tony's Pizza before and was greeted with the most delicious smells as soon as we walked in the door.

Jake walked in and waved at the older couple behind the counter before leading us to a booth in the corner. I slid in and then watched him remove his leather jacket, throwing it in the booth, before sliding in across from me. I had to pull the table towards me a little so he had room and was once again in awe at his sheer size.

"What do you bench press? Cars? People?"  
He raised an eyebrow, "No cars," he leaned across towards me, "but if you're volunteering, I'll be happy to bench press you any time."  
_Oh yeah. I believe that was the sound of my ovaries sighing._

I was quickly learning that Jacob Black was the king of the flirtatious one-liners. And I did not mind being on the receiving end of that one bit.

We each ordered a beer and a meat pizza to share. We sat sipping our drafts watching the guy behind the counter spin our pizza dough on his finger.  
"That takes some true talent," Jake said.  
"Yeah, real eye hand coordination." I turned towards him, "So, what have you been doing the last couple of days? You kinda fell off the planet." I knew there was more to Jacob Black and was hoping tonight he would share it with me.  
"Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that."  
Yeah, guess not.  
"That isn't much of an answer. Are you looking for work? Planning to stick around?" I sipped again from my mug.

He seemed to think for a minute, spinning his mostly empty mug on the table before speaking.  
"Well, a friend got me a job at a garage here in Seattle. Owner's a friend of his and he owed him a favor. Anyway, I'm gonna work there until I figure out what I'm going to do."  
"Seattle, huh? I figured you were looking for something in Forks or Port Angeles, to stay close to your dad?"  
He tipped his mug, draining it, and waived to the lady behind the counter. He held up two fingers, indicating two more beers, and then turned back to me.  
"Nah, I love my pops and all, but I've been on my own too long now. I can't really see myself moving in with him. I'm gonna move in with a guy I know, Embry, lives here in town. His girl left him, so he's looking for a roommate."

We paused our conversation as the lady brought us our next round.  
"Jake, you ok to drink? We do have to drive, you know."  
He laughed at me, "Thanks, mom, but have you seen my size? It takes more than a couple of these puny mugs to make me tipsy. Plus, we aren't driving anywhere for a while."  
He had my curiosity peaked, "What do you mean?"  
"Well, I'm taking you to play pool. There's a bar down the road, fun place, we can walk. And I promise I will stop in plenty of time to drive you home. Safely. But I can't promise I'll take those curves any slower, I kinda like the way you grab me when you're scared."  
Now it was my turn to laugh, "Boy, a pool hall? You sure know how to show a girl a good time. And you had better be careful how much alcohol you give me, or I may be giving you something far less pleasant than a little squeeze on the ride home." I tipped my new beer to him and drank a quarter of it down.

I liked it, he had ordered us a dark ale. I was usually a light beer girl, but I found the strong taste of this lager very appealing.  
We sat there, eyes locked, for a few heartbeats until we were interrupted with our pizza being brought to our table.  
We each pulled off a slice.  
I took a bite and moaned at the flavor. It seriously was the best pizza I had ever had. My eyes fluttered closed as I slowly chewed it and swallowed. As I opened them, I noticed Jake was staring at me, pizza in hand and jaw dangling.  
"What?" I asked, grabbing a napkin and wiping my face.  
He shook his head at me and chuckled, "Nothing. Just that, if that's how you act about pizza, I sure can't wait to see how you are with sex."  
I was feeling a little bolder, the beer having started to settle into my brain and removing my verbal filters.  
"I'm sure you would like to know. And my, for the record, my sex sounds are way better than my fuck-awesome pizza sounds."  
He choked on his bite of pizza, nearly spewing it across the table at me. He wiped his mouth with his napkin, "Duly noted," he said as he folded his slice in half and devoured it in three bites.

After dinner, we left, walking hand in hand a block down the sidewalk to the bar Jake had mentioned. In my mind, I pictured a dirty dive. But New Moon was actually quite nice. The whole place was wood paneled walls and wood floor. There was a bar running the length of the right wall and three pool tables in the back. Booths and tables lined the front wall and the left side leaving an open area in the middle where people were dancing. Within ten minutes of being there and people making selections from the juke box, I knew that we were in for a night of southern rock and country. Odd for the Seattle area, but it was ok. I was familiar enough with 38 Special and Alabama to sway to the music. Plus, my beer buzz left me not really giving a shit and just having fun.

Jake took me to the back where a couple of guys were just finishing a game of pool and claimed the table as ours. It was still early enough that the place was just half full. Some guys watching spots on the flat screens over the bar, a few older couples dancing and some others at the other two pool tables.

"Nice rack," I heard Jacob say and turned towards him, already preparing my witty reply about how crass his comment was about my tits, when I realized he had racked the balls and was just admiring his work.  
He looked up at me. "What?" He said with fake innocence.

I rolled my eyes, "You break, I suck." As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt my face turn a bright red. The guffaw that left Jacob's mouth made some heads turn and he took two long strides to slide up next to me. Placing his hand on my back, he leaned into my ear, "Thanks for letting me know, Bells. Perhaps later we can put that to the test."  
Mortified. I was mortified. So much for liquid courage.

We fell into easy conversation, bantering about each other's game; flirting here and there with the occasional touch or a whispered comment. It turned up a few notches when Jacob decided I needed help with my current shot. He came over to me, "Here, Bella, lean over like this," he said into my ear. His hand was on my lower back and he slid it up to between my shoulder blades and gently pushed me forward so I was stretched across the table. He moved his hips so they were directly behind my ass and he stretched his long, muscular arms around me, assisting with my hold on the cue.

"See, Bella," his hot breath fanning across the back of my head and neck, sending shivers down my arms, "you want to hold the stick with the right amount of control. Firmly slide it back and forth between the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, using them to guide and control." He was rubbing the cue in that exact spot on my left hand right now and all I could think of was his hard shaft, currently growing and pushing into my backside. I purposely gave my butt a little wiggle, knowing it was pushed into his groin, and he inhaled a sharp breath.  
"Tease," he whispered into my right ear as he guided my cue to the ball and helped me take the shot.

We missed. It didn't matter.  
Moments later, we both realized he still had me bent over the table. Jacob cleared his throat, standing and pulling me into a standing position with him, my back still pulled against his chest. He leaned down into my ear, "I'll need you to stand here just a minute, I have a bit of a … problem."  
I stifled a laugh and turned my head to the side, "From what I can tell, it's a pretty big one, too."  
Groaning, he dropped his head to my shoulder, "You need to stop, Bells. Seriously, not helping."  
Again, I noticed I didn't mind his calling me 'Bells'. But pushed it away, before I could put too much stock in it.

At that moment, an all too familiar tune came over the jukebox. The bar had filled up and there were hoots and squeals as people made there way to the center of the room.  
That's right, it was the all time wedding reception favorite.  
The line dance of all line dances.  
"Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus.  
I groaned, quite loudly.  
"Not a fan?" Jake asked.  
"Not at all," I said and moved to walk away, somewhere I could hide from this horrid song. It was like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard.  
"Oh no you don't," he grabbed my hand and started pulling me to where the other patrons had already formed three lines, in mid step, hopping and stomping.  
"Jake, I will not do that damned dance!"

He looked over his shoulder and flashed me that beautiful, toothy grin.  
"Jacob Black, I said no! I can't dance!" He had his hands on my hips as he started helping me move to the rhythm of the music. We were currently at the back of the line. But in my experience, in three turns, we would be at the front of the group. "You need to relax and live a little, Bella! Life is too short!"  
I grunted.  
_Prepare for humiliation in epic proportions!_

I could not believe he had me out here. I tried desperately to figure out the steps, to no avail. I was, however, quite happy I wore my Docs tonight; they protected my toes from getting stepped on since I kept getting in everyone's way. Jacob, on the other hand, was quite graceful. He moved his hips with the music, stomped his booted foot and even did the little hop-skip with precision unbelievable for someone his size. I was in awe. And in pain. The lady to my right just kicked me in the leg with the steel toe of her boot, and I'm pretty sure it was not an accident. I don't give a shit how apologetic she says she is.

I hobbled my way off the dance floor to a bar stool and just watched as the group finished their dance. Jacob was laughing along with the people around him as he cast me very heated looks.

As I watched him, I realized that Jacob Black was a beautiful distraction from my life. No matter what else happened. I didn't really see a relationship with him being long term. But, damn it, I was going to enjoy just being with him. I had a feeling that he would do me some good.

I now had a perfect view of his ass.  
Yes, he would do me a lot of good.

"Bells, you taste wonderful."  
We had made it back to my place safe and sound and were currently making out on the steps to my apartment. The rest of the house was dark, so I knew Rose and Em were not waiting up for my return, like worried parents. Right now, I was pressed up against the side of the house with Jake's hips pinning me to the wall.  
Kissing Jacob was not disappointing. In fact, it was toe curling. The only kisses better were from "He Who Shall Not Be Named".

I had found my way under his shirt and was running my fingers along the muscles of his abs. He groaned into my mouth as he pulled away, placing his forehead against mine.  
"I better stop or you're going to end up naked on these steps."  
Just the thought of that, naked and writhing under Jake, had heat pouring from my core. I needed his touch desperately.  
"Jacob, please." Apparently, I was not above begging. I tried pulling his mouth back to mine, but he pulled back.  
"Bells, I'm sorry, but I can't. Not yet. Please understand."  
Yeah, understand.  
Fuck that shit. I was on fire and it needed to be quenched. Now. And he had spent the whole night winding me up … to what, tell me "No"?!

"Jacob, is it me?" Yeah, there it is; the insecurity rather than the anger.  
He grabbed my face, a hand on either side and lifted so I had to look in his eyes, "God no, Bella! I have a… complicated past. I just really like you. I don't want to mess this up. I want to enjoy it, savor it, take my time."  
Damn it. He was being sweet.  
"Ok…" I was disappointed, I couldn't help it, "But can we get together this week?"  
He laughed, kissing my nose, "Yes, probably."  
"And the Halloween party is next week, will you be my guest for that?"  
Kissing each temple, he answered, "Love to."

I let out a breath. I felt better now… somewhat.  
I was still aching beyond belief in the girl regions.

"Now, I better go," he said as he laid one more kiss on me, "go on up, let me see you get in safe."  
I followed his instruction and went up to my door, unlocking it and reaching in to turn on the kitchen light.  
"Ok, then. Goodnight Bella."  
"Night Jake."

I watched him walk back to the curb and then walked into my kitchen, closing and locking the door.

I had my shoes off in the hall and clothes off by the time I made it to my room. Opening my top dresser drawer, I pulled out the vibrator I kept there. I didn't use it often. Alice had given it to me more as a joke, said it would excite me more than Riley ever could. I just sort of held on to it, for emergency purposes.

Tonight was most definitely an emergency.

Leaning back against the headboard, I thought of a brown eyed man with large biceps and defined abs as I brought myself to my first climax. I was still spun up and started climbing to my second one when the vision in my mind changed.  
No longer brown eyes. They were green.  
Nearly black hair was now bronze.  
And the smile became a sexy smirk that I knew to well.  
As my body shook and convulsed, I whispered his name.  
"Edward."

* * *

**A/N...  
Thanks again for reading!  
Please leave me a note, tell me what you think.  
I am on Facebook now... RvrSong FanFiction, feel free to friend me there. Not that I can promise I am all that exciting. But if you want to hear about the randomness of my day, the craziness of my kids, the current song playing on my iPod and my love for Rob P, well then come on! :)**

**Also, a special thanks to ****_SparklingWand_**** for Rec'ing out my story on TWO different pages.  
It means the world to me (as I have told you about 150 times already, I think).  
If you haven't started her story "Compass" - Get it on your reading list! It's under my Favorite Stories, and she is in my Favorite Authors.**

**Now... leave me a note and say hello! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for joining my story!**

* * *

Chapter 7

"Bella! Earth to Bella!"  
Alice was snapping her fingers in my face. She picked Rose and I up for a late breakfast and shopping. We were getting the decorations for the Halloween party and the last pieces of our costumes. Well, except for me, I was still trying to figure out what to wear.

However, my head was not in it, still thinking about my date with Jacob.

And my masturbating to visions of Edward.

Damn.

"Sorry, Alice. What were you saying?" I wash pushing my pancake around my plate, it was soggy now, since the syrup had sat on it so long.

"I was saying that I found the perfect dress for the party. A flapper. And I found Jazz a zoot suit."

I was so not into this conversation.

"That's cool, Al. I bet you'll both look great."

I looked over at Rose, who was currently giving me the stink eye.

Then Rose looked at Alice. They shook their heads and turned back to me.

"What? Do I have food on my face or something?" It was doubtful I did since I hadn't really touched my food. But I ran my napkin across my mouth anyway. Rose shook her head. "How was your date last night, with Jacob?"

Yup, the look on her face made it clear. Jacob Black was not her favorite person.

"It was good," I said before shoveling the soggy pancakes into my mouth, suddenly hungry.

"That's right!" Alice bounced in her chair, "How was it? And Rose, you met him?"

"I did," Rose said, taking another spoonful of her grapefruit.

"Well? What's he like?" Alice's eyes were sparkling, looking between Rose and me. I had a mouthful of mush, so I couldn't say a thing. Rose spoke up instead, "Tall, muscles, drives a Harley. You know, the 'type'," using air quotes to emphasize her point. That confused me.  
"Wah oo meen tp?" I said around my mouthful.  
"Bella, don't talk with your mouth full," Alice chided me, "Rose, what do you mean 'type'?"

Rose finished off the rest of her grapefruit and then pushed the bowl away. "You know, bad boy on a motorcycle. A badass that acts romantic to get in the girl's pants and then never calls her again. Plus, there is something unsettling about him. I just get the feeling there is something going on." Rose's violet eyes bore into mine and I lost my appetite, again.  
As the waitress removed our plates, I responded to Rose's comments, "Well, I don't thing he's in it for the sex, or we would have done it last night."

Alice's eyes bugged out, "What? Really? How far did you get?" Leave it to Alice to want the dirt, forget about Rose's concerns.  
"Not as far as I'd have liked, I'm afraid," I said to my pixie friend.  
"Is he a good kisser?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Did you get to third base?" Yeah, nothing was off limits from this one.

"Nope."

"Second?"

"Not hardly."

She sat back in her chair, "First base?" She looked aghast, beside herself that I didn't get more action.

Rose huffed, "Kissing **_IS_** only first base, Alice. Jeez. And stop encouraging her. It doesn't matter how hot he is, there's something off about him."

"Sooooo… he's hot, huh?" Alice was missing Rose's point all together.

"Alice," I was desperate to get the conversation off me and my strange non-bedfellow, "how long has it been since you and Jasper have gotten it on?"

Rolling her eyes, she smacked the table, "Three weeks! Can you believe it?!"  
I knew there was a reason she was so interested in my sex life; she had hit a dry spell. She continued on, lowering her voice, "I mean, I know he has a lot to prove at the firm. He has worked so hard to get where he is, and to have accomplished it at such a young age. But he's gone every morning by five and not home until seven or even eight some nights and then he practically goes straight to bed. I swear, I'm about to run my rabbit in circles!"

Yeah, she raised her voice on that last part. The older ladies at the next table looked at her, eyebrows raised, not quite sure what a rabbit had to do with anything.

Rose and I laughed before I responded, "I'm right there with you, Al. I was so worked up last night…" I trailed off, shaking my head and realizing I was sharing a bit too much information.  
"You used it?" Alice asked with a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Used what?" Rose looked at her.

"Oh, you know… I gave Bella a gift many years ago, for those special times."

I felt the heat rush to my face and quickly covered it with my hands, "Stop it, Alice." Rose was chuckling next to her now, "Well, how about that, our little control freak, Bella, getting it on with a battery operated penis. First a motorcycle and then a vibrator? Who are you and what have you done with our friend?"

I peeked out at her through my fingers, "Har-Har."

Once again, missing the bigger picture, Alice chimed in, "Wait, he drives a motorcycle? That's freaking hot!"

We were in a party store so Rose and Alice could pick out decorations. I was no good at that stuff, so I was just browsing the aisles. I soon found myself up at the front, looking through the costumes, when I glanced out the window. I saw a rather familiar head of black hair and broad shoulders. It seemed that Jacob had found his way into the city today. He was across the street at a coffee shop sipping a beverage on their patio. Just seeing him made me grin like a fool. He appeared to be alone, so I considered going across to see him. But, I didn't want to leave the girls; plus, I would have to tell them why I was leaving. And since Rose was not a fan of my new "friend", I figured it would be best to not go to him. Instead, I decided to text him.

I was going to type "I see you", but thought better of it. Instead, I thought I would play coy:

**_Hey! What u up to? – B_**

I hit send and watched him. A few moments later, he grabbed his phone and read the text. He put it down on the table as if contemplating it, which, I have to admit, seemed strange. Why wouldn't he just text me back?  
Finally picking it up, he typed and shortly after my phone dinged. Looking down I read his response:  
**_Helping pops with some work on the house. – J_**

Now see, that was just weird, since he obviously wasn't at the house at all. In fact, he was about three hours away from it. I was about to text him back and call "Bullshit!" when he stood. A dark haired girl slowly walked up to him. Her back was to me, so I couldn't see if I knew her. They stood, facing each other for what seemed hours, before they shared a tentative hug. Then, they turned and walked down the sidewalk.

I was standing there, just staring, and watching them as long as I could before they were out of my line of vision.

"What the fuck?' I mumbled to myself.

By the end of the day, I was pissed.  
I decided not to tell Rose and Alice what had happened. Thankfully, they were so wrapped up in decorations and costumes that they didn't notice my sullen mood. Well, ok, I was already a sullen person normally. But you would think they might have noticed it was a little worse… right?

In my anger, I allowed them to dress me for the party.

Now that I was home and staring at the contents of my bags, I wasn't too sure about their choice. Rose and Alice decided to go with the 'Naughty Teacher' idea. I had a tight grey pencil skirt that stopped just below mid thigh. Just barley long enough to conceal the lace top of the sheer black thigh highs they had talked me into. In fact, I'm pretty sure when I walked, the skirt would shift to reveal the lace. I suppose that was the point.  
Then there was the white blouse, a size too small, that I was instructed to wear unbuttoned low enough to see the top of the black lace push up bra I was also made to purchase. It came with a matching lace thong. Lucky me. At the party store, they found me a pair of readers with plain plastic lenses, so I could have glasses to wear low on my nose. There was the mention of wearing my hair in a bun with pencils in it and some other accessories to help pull the theme together, but I hadn't paid much attention. I just knew Rose would get me what ever Alice wanted me to have by Saturday.

It was early evening and I had long since changed into my jammies. Curled up on the couch, once again wishing I had my best friend here to watch a scary movie with. My phone dinged, alerting me to a text. Grabbing it from the table, I saw it was Jacob:

**_Hey! Sorry about earlier. What's up? – J_**

_He can not be serious._

I stared at the screen, not sure what to do. Do I call him on what I saw or let it go? I would have swept it under the carpet in the past, but I was trying very hard to not be a door mat. So today, I wasn't letting it go. Even if it meant this thing we had stopped here and now.

**_I saw you today. – B_**

I rolled my eyes at what I just sent, I felt like some stalker, all "I saw what you did…". It didn't take long for a response:

**_Bells, I can explain. – J_**

Suddenly, his use of Edward's pet name for me irritated me. Like allowing him to use it was like I was trying to turn him into Edward somehow. It felt wrong.  
**_Please don't call me that. – B_**

The phone didn't ding again and I went back to my movie. Ten minutes later it rang. The Cult sang up to me and I looked down, seeing it was Jacob. The "Old Bella" would have never answered it, avoiding conflict at all cost. But the new Bella, well, she said "Fuck it!" and answered the phone.

"What, Jacob?"

"Why are you pissed? And since when is calling you 'Bells' an issue?" He sounded just as irritated with me as I was with him. My stomach seized. I really had no right getting upset with him, after all, we weren't a couple.  
But he clearly lied. And with Rose and her _"I have a feeling he's up to something"_ crap at breakfast, I was over thinking everything.

"Look, just, please don't call me that. And don't lie to me. We aren't an official couple or anything. You can see who you want. Just don't lie about it."

He huffed into the phone, "Like you can see who ever you want?"

"What does that mean?" I hadn't dated in months.

"Edward?" He said the name like it was a curse.

"Ok, Jake, this conversation is getting us no where. I am not seeing anyone, especially not Edward. I just… I just saw you at the coffee shop today and when I texted you, you lied and told me you were at Billy's and then I saw a girl walk up and you hugged her and went off with her. And it pissed me off. Not because you were with another girl. But because you lied."

**_There._**  
I got it all out.

Whatever.

There was silence on the other line before I heard him exhale a long breath, "Look, Bella, I told you that my life is a little complicated. I was just… seeing someone I hadn't seen in a long time. But, I shouldn't have lied about it."

Now it was my turn to sigh, "Jacob, you don't have to give me all the gory details, although I certainly hope you will trust me enough one day to confide in me. But, just don't lie. It's not a good way to start out this… whatever we are."

"Whatever we are, huh?" The playfulness was back to his voice, "I guess that is an accurate description. We aren't an official couple, having only gone on only one date."

A smile pulled at the sides of my mouth, I couldn't stay angry with him, "No, we aren't. That does require more than one date."

"Hmmm... but we're more than just friends, I hope?" he asked. My stomach did a little flip, "Yes, I would say we are more than friends. Especially after that kiss last night." He let out a low, sultry chuckle, "Yes, that kiss was something."

I scoffed, "Yeah, something that left me a little stirred up. I had to consider a cold shower." No way was I confessing my time with my vibrator to him. That piece of information was best left to the girl talk.

"Really, now? Well, if it's any consolation, riding the bike home with wood is not the least bit comfortable."  
I laughed, "Good to know. At least I know you were tortured, like me."

"Probably more so," he had lowered his voice.  
"How's that?"  
"Well, you live all alone. If you need to … take things into your own hands… there is no one on the other side of a paper thin door to hear you. If you know what I mean."

Now I was laughing harder, "So, you can't even…?"  
"Not with pops in the house, which is all the fucking time," he grumbled.

"When are you moving in with that friend of yours?"

"Not soon enough." More silence filled the line until Jacob spoke again, "So… did you? Did you have to, you know, take care of yourself last night?"

I looked up at the TV, Freddy Krueger waiving at me with razor blade gloves.

"Jacob, I can't… I mean…" I was so glad he couldn't see me, I knew my embarrassment was all over my face. But as much as New Bella may have wanted to give in, go down the road of hot phone sex (cause I'm sure it would be very hot) I couldn't do it, it didn't feel right.

"Ok, cool. I just, well, just the thought of you being all turned on last night has me…"  
"Jake!"

Chuckling, he relented "Fine! Relax Bella! So, if we are good, you wanna hang tomorrow?"  
Were we good? Yeah, I think so. I was being over bearing and had no right to be. He admitted he had some things he was taking care of and I had to trust that, one day, he would tell me everything. "Yeah, we're good. What do you want to do?"

"Go to the beach."

XOXOXOXOX

At nine the next morning, I pulled out of my driveway. It seemed my dad would be getting another visit from me, twice in less than two weeks was a new record. When I called him last night, after I hung up with Jake, he told me he felt honored to be included in my very busy social calendar. I then told him to stop bitching like old man and he told me to shut up. I loved my dad.

Jake and I made plans to meet at dad's house; he was then going to drive me out to La Push, on the Reservation. I hadn't been there in years and was excited to go, not terribly excited about the motorcycle. I knew Charlie would be even less thrilled.

I pulled into the driveway of my old home in record time. Dad came out to the front porch, having forgone his Sunday ritual of fishing. He said it was his version of church. He prayed for good weather and thanked the Lord every time he reeled in a big one.

"Hey dad."

"Hey kiddo."  
As I got to the porch, he stopped me before going in, "Look, Bella, I just think you should know…" But before he got to finish, Sue was looking out the screened door at me, "Hey Bella!" Her hair was still damp from what I was assuming was a recent shower. My dad had a sleep over. Ok, I knew it was happening, but to see the day after proof… well, it made me laugh.  
I looked up into my dads face to see him blushing. He averted his eyes from me as he said, "Um, yeah, Sue is here."  
Charles Swan, embarrassed. I pulled my cell out of my pocket and aimed it up at him.

"What the hell, Bella?"

"Hey, it's not often I see you this shade of… what is that? Red? Purple? What do you think, Sue?" I snapped a shot of him giving me the stink eye.

Sue pushed the door open, "Oh no, you are not sucking me into that conversation." Not being able to resist more mortification of my father, I giggled, and in my best Beavis and Butthead voice I said, "He-he, you said 'sucked'." This earned me a smack on the back of my head as I walked by my dad into the house, "Enough!" was all he could say as I continued to laugh at my own joke.

In the kitchen, Sue poured me a cup of coffee and offered me a late breakfast. "No thanks, Jacob should be here any minute. I think we are eating lunch together." I sat at the small kitchen table across from my dad.

"So, you and Jake, huh?" He asked, eyebrow raised. Yeah, I totally got that move from him. I looked over to see Sue quickly vacating the room.  
"Um, yeah, well, we're hanging out," I responded, looking at my hands wrapped around the mug. I suddenly felt like a teenager asking to go out on her first date.  
"Well, that's alright. Just, be careful… you know…"  
My eyes shot up to meet my dad's, "Oh god, dad! I am not having this talk with you! "  
"Really? Cause you certainly didn't mind discussing my… you know… personal stuff… life. Anyway, that isn't what I meant, Gutter Brain."

Shifting around in my seat, praying for the tell tale sound of the Harley, I looked back up to my dad, "Ok… so what **_did_** you mean?" Dad got up from the table and went to the coffee pot for a refill. Years of interrogations had perfected his "dramatic pause", I was not in the mood for it, but patiently waited anyway. Coming back to the table, he sipped his coffee, then responded, "Bella, Jacob had a real hard time when he was a teenager."  
"I know, he went to live with his aunt." This wasn't news to me.  
"Well, he just, he's trying to… make amends… with his past. Ah, hell, Bella. Look, it's not my story to tell, Jacob will have to do that. I just," he paused, looking out the window, "He's a good kid… **_Man_**. Just, be careful, ok?"

At that moment, I heard the distinct sound of Jake's bike pull up. My dad's awkward speech raised more questions about Jacob than I had already had. But, since he wasn't objecting to my going off with him, I decided to just file it away for now.

I went to the sink to rinse my mug and heard Sue talking with Jake at the door. I turned to see him stride into the kitchen. Clad in leather jacket, worn jeans and biker  
boots; he should have looked like the member of some motorcycle gang, especially considering his size. But when I looked into his face and his bright smile, all I could see was easy going Jake. "Hey," he said as he came over and pulled me into a hug. "Hey yourself," I smiled up at him.  
"So," dad was now to my right, "You be careful with my girl on that bike, you got it?" Jacob threw his head back and laughed, then straightened up and faced my dad, saluting him, "Yes sir, Chief Swan, sir!"  
Dad narrowed his eyes at him, "Smart ass. Just be careful. Please."

"Will do, Charlie," turning to me, "you ready?"

"Yup." I hugged my dad and said bye to Sue and went outside with Jacob. My nerves were getting the best of me again. Jake must have noticed, so as he buckled the helmet under my chin, he said, "Bella, you need to relax. You can trust me. Just have fun and stop worrying."

We both climbed onto his bike and he started it up, the vibration of the motor reverberating through me. I wrapped my arms around his body, pulling myself a little closer. I could feel his laughter through his chest as we pulled out and made our way to the Quileute Reservation and La Push.

Relaxing into his back, I began to realize there was something very liberating about being on the back of a motorcycle. With my arms wrapped around Jake's muscular torso and the wind in my face, I felt free and maybe a little uninhibited.

I realized that maybe Jake had been right.  
I need to loosen up a bit and relax, stop trying to control everything and just… live.

Forty five minutes later, we were walking on to the beach. It was an unusually sunny day and the sun's rays felt good on my face. We had parked up at Billy's house so Jacob could grab a couple of blankets and a small cooler with food in it. I had looked at him questioningly when I saw his arm load. He gave me that school boy grin, "We are having a picnic! Grab that thermos." I was apparently given hot chocolate duty.  
Finding a spot next to a large Sequoia driftwood, to help block some of the wind coming down the beach, Jake laid out one of the blankets, putting the other to the side. He sat the cooler down in the sand and then sat himself down on the blanket, patting the place next to him. As I sat, he began to remove his boots and socks, so I did the same.

"I still love to feel the cold sand between my toes," he said rolling up his jeans a little, "Hungry?"

"Wow, subject change much?" I laughed, "And, yes, starved."  
"Well, let me tell you Miss Swan, you are in for a fine treat today. We have the best PB&J sandwiches this side of Seattle!"

"PB&J, seriously?" I quirked a brow at him, "Are we twelve?"

Jacob stuck his bottom lip out, "But it's all I had at the house. And I made it for you." He held a wrapped sandwich out to me. I couldn't help but smile as I reached up and tugged on his deliciously plump bottom lip, "Fine, I guess if YOU made it." I took the offering and unwrapped it, jelly and peanut butter were spilling from the sides. "Did you leave any jelly and peanut butter behind?"

He had taken a bite of his, "Wah? I like egstra on it…"

He passed me a coke, stating the hot chocolate would be fore later, and then leaned back against the fallen tree. We ate in comfortable silence, watching the waves.

"Bella, the girl… the woman you saw me with yesterday… she was someone I used to date. A long time ago. Sort of the reason I had to leave and moved to live with my aunt. I really don't want to get any more into it now, if that's ok with you. But, I'm not dating her or anything. Just… reconnecting." He was looking at his half eaten sandwich, it was his second, with a furrowed brow. I realized then that, whatever it was, it was a major deal to him, something that hurt him. As mad as I was yesterday and as much as I wanted to know what had happened, I knew he needed to deal with this alone for now. When he was ready, he would tell me.

"Ok, Jake, no problem. Just, don't think you can't trust me, no matter what, I want to be your friend. Everything else aside, ok?"

He seemed to shake out of what ever sad thought had been going through his mind and looked up at me, flashing that gleaming grin, "Great! Now, you spill, what's been going on with you?"

I told him about work and the confrontation with Tanya. He said she probably still liked Mike and was just trying to exercise her dominance. I had to agree, but stressed again that I wanted nothing to do with the sleaze ball.  
Then I told him about shopping with the girls and invited him to the Halloween party. Finally, conversation drifted to Edward and Jessica. Not where I wanted it to go. But he kept asking questions and was such a good listener. We were sitting cross legged on the blanket facing each other, knee to knee, he was gently holding my left hand with his right, tracing circles on the back of it, "So, do you love him?"

"I don't know Jake, I'm just confused. He was always my best friend, you know? And then the lines got blurred and now, well, I don't know what we are now."

He sat quietly, looking at my hand before sighing, "Bella, if he can't see that his life would be infinitely better with you then with that Jessica bitch, then, well, he doesn't deserve you. You need someone who will worship you, unquestioningly and without reservation. You are beautiful, smart and fun, all be it a little on the control freak side..."

"Hey!," I smacked him with my free hand.

Looking up at me, his eyes seemed darker, more intense, "You are the woman men dream about, and you deserve the best. Do not settle for less than the best."

I was taken aback by the passion in his words and before I knew it, I was up on my knees, pulling my hand free of his and grabbing his face between my palms. I looked into his eyes and then descended onto his mouth, a fire roaring with in me. He parted his lips, allowing me access to his tongue, as his hands grabbed my hips, pulling me into a straddle on his lap. I wasn't sure what I was planning, just that the fierceness of what he said, the tone he used, and the deep desire to just live life for once had me feeling powerful and free.

I pulled his jacket off his shoulders and then reached down, sliding my hands under his shirt. I traced my fingers along the defined muscle of his abs, up and over his chest, feeling the sharp peeks of his nipples. He moaned into my mouth as I ran my hand to the sides of his chest and pushed, letting him know what I wanted. He raised his arms so I could pull his shirt off. I pulled back and looked at his bare chest. It was beautiful, a work of art, I could study it for hours and right now, I wanted to. But the realization that we were on a public beach brought me back to my senses. I looked around to see if there was anyone else out here. It was then I realized that Jacob had picked a perfect spot for our picnic. The fallen tree to one side and a row of rocks to the other, meant we had barriers on either side of us. Why I hadn't noticed before now that we were tucked away into our own private place, I had no idea. But I didn't question in, I silently thanked him for it as I pulled off my own jacket and then shirt. Goosebumps broke across my skin as the cold air his me and Jake ran his hands up and down my arms, "Here," he said and grabbed the other blanket, laying us to our sides, facing each other, and pulling the warm flannel over us. I curled up into his bare chest as I let myself just enjoy the warmth radiating from him. His hand traced light circles on my back and I hummed in pleasure at his soft touch. It had been forever since I felt … appreciated. I knew Edward wanted me, but he never took his time, never just held me and loved me.

Jacob raised himself up on his elbow as he leaned in to kiss my shoulder, then neck, heading towards my chest. His eyes met mine and I gave him silent consent to continue. He lowered the cup of my bra and kissed around my nipple before sucking it in. My hips ground involuntarily into him as I wrapped my leg up and over his, his hand reaching down and pulling my leg around him harder, so I could feel his growing arousal pressed into my abdomen.

His tongue flicked and flitted over my nipple until I thought I was going to explode, "God Jacob, please…" I was rubbing his cock as he ground it into my hand. I began to try and open his belt one handed when he stilled me.  
Pulling back, he looked into my eyes, "No Bella, not here where anyone can see us. When we do this, it's not going to be a quickie in public."

I immediately felt a pang of hurt and then frustrated as I had grown very wet and needy in the girl parts, and I was no where near my vibrator.

"Damn, woman, you look like I just ran over your dog."

I was pouting.

"I don't have a dog. I do, however, have a little kitty that is feeling rather frustrated."

He let out one of those booming laughs as he threw his head back, "So is THAT what we are calling it these days? Well, I think I can help with that, lay back."

"You said…" I was confused.

"I said no sex, I didn't say we had to stop. Why do you think I had the second blanket?" His eyes were shinning and dancing with excitement.  
"Oh, you bad, bad…" and he caught my mouth with his, kissing me deeply. Within moments, my second breast was over the top of my bra cup as he nipped at that nipple and his hand began to work on unbuttoning my jeans. Pulling back he grumbled, "Fucking skinny jeans, I hate these things." I laughed as I reached down, helping him slide them past my hips. He palmed my sex, running a finger along the panty line before pulling them down some as well, "Damn, Bella, you are so wet already. Next time, next time I get to taste you." Just the thought of it made me tremble. He began his assault of kisses again, along my neck, chest, to my mouth and then settling back to my nipples, sucking and biting. His fingers were circling my clit until one finger dipped into me, causing me to scream out and throw my hip up into his hand. "Hmm, my girl likes that?"

He then set to pumping two fingers in and out of me, slowly, taking is time to pull them out and circle my over sensitive nub before pushing back in. My brain was numb with the pleasure of it. At that moment, there could have been a hundred people on the beach and I wouldn't have cared. Under this blanket, Jacob Black was working me to a beautiful crescendo. My hands rubbed his back, grabbing and scraping as he added his thumb to the assault on my very wet and very aching sex. Pulling my nipple back in and biting it gently, he flicked his tongue over it as his thumb applied just enough circling pressure. My head went back and my eyes screwed shut as I hit my release. It pulsed through me and I gasped for breath.

Jacob removed his hand from me, assisting in pulling up my underwear and jeans and then tucked my breasts back into my bra, before kissing me gently. He kissed each cheek, the tip of my nose and my eyes before planting gentle kisses on my mouth.

He pulled back, "Hey, let's go for a walk."

XOXOXOXOX

That night, I laid in bed and recounted the days events.  
After my intense make out session with Jacob and getting to... what was that? Second or third base? I'd have to ask Rose…

Anyway, we pulled our shirts and jackets on, and went for a walk along the shoreline. Allowing our toes to get wet, we walked hand in hand and talked about everything and nothing. It was the most relaxed I had been in, well, years.

As we sat back on the blanket, sipping our cocoa, I told him of my failed relationship with Riley and my lack of sexual partners, only having had a couple of one nighters in college. He told me of the girlfriend he left in Colorado and the others he had worked his way through along the way back home. I suppose the fact that he was screwing his way across the country should have bothered me, but it didn't.

I figured something out today in my time with Jacob.  
Jake was going to be a great friend, probably nothing more, but that was ok. I think we were both giving the other something that we each needed at the moment. I knew, though, that after this "thing" between us was over, we would never lose touch.

I curled up on my side and said a quite prayer of thanks for the day I ran into Jacob Black. He was bringing a new clarity to my life.  
And I was beginning to like the New Bella.

* * *

**A/N:  
Thanks for reading.  
Please leave me your thoughts...**

**I like to read the fun, positive things you all have to say.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for reading... Don't own the original characters.  
We all know who does... just having some fun.**

* * *

Chapter 8

Monday at work was delightfully quiet. Mike was going to be away for most of the week, which meant I wouldn't have sleaze ball drive-bys. I did, however, have a creepy feeling that Tanya was keeping an eye on me. Call it paranoia, but she was on our floor more than usual.

Newton's wasn't a large company, topping out at about eighty employees. We worked in a three-story building that was taller than it was wide, located in the trendy Capitol Hill section of Seattle. The Newtons had other businesses that they ran, including a chain of hardware stores in the surrounding small towns.

However, the publishing house is where they decided to dump their loser son. Mike had graduated from college with a degree in business, but had ridden the family coattails to his current position, as he was not a great businessman. He was too consumed with strippers and gambling. I had no doubt that, left to his own devices, he would run this piece of his parents' fortune into the ground.

It made me sad since it was my dream to run a publishing house just like this one. I would take pride in watching it grow and flourish, taking on new authors and encouraging my employees to participate in bringing in authors, empowering them to feel a part of the business.

But, this wasn't my company, and for now, I just had to tow the line.

It was three in the afternoon and as I watched Tanya make her third trip around the cubicles, I was convinced that she was summing things up, summing me up. I mean, was she really that afraid I wanted Newton? Just the thought of him touching me grossed me out. As I shivered in disgust, I heard my phone vibrating in my desk drawer. Looking around, I decided Tanya was far enough away I could answer it.

There was a "no personal calls" policy… but everyone took them anyway. I just didn't want to draw more attention to myself with the head of Human Resources, since I was apparently already on her hit list.

I looked down to see it was Jake and grinned.

"Hey," I whispered into the phone.

"Hey yourself! Why are you whispering?" He lowered his voice to match mine, which made me laugh.

"Queen Bitch is on my floor," I gave a quick look around, she was still a few desks away, making small talk with Jason. "What's up?"

"Well, I'm moving into Embry's tomorrow, which will take all of fifteen minutes, enough time for me to carry in my bag. Anyway, I wanted to see if you'd like to come over for beer and pizza after work."

Laughing, I said, "Jake, beer, pizza and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches… you really know how to spoil a girl."

"Hey! I'll cook for you, eventually. It's just, I want you to meet Embry and beer and pizza is just… easy."

"Well, I don't usually drink on work nights."

"Ah, yes, Princess Control Freak. I can get you something else to drink. Will Kool-Aid be ok?" He was mocking me.

"Hey! I am not a control freak," I responded.

It was then that I heard a throat clearing behind me. Turning, I saw Tanya, with her fried blonde hair, standing just behind me with her hands on her hips and tapping her foot. She was wearing a shirt that was so tight I could see that she also liked to wear her bras a size too small.

"No cell phones, Isabella." She sounded like a female prison guard. Come to think of it, she sort of resembled one, too.

"Jake, gotta go. Yes, I'll come. Text me the address."

He was laughing at my abruptness, "Give Señorita Bitch a hug for me!"

I chuckled, "Will do," and hung up, placing the phone back in my drawer. I turned back to face Tanya, she looked as if she were angry at a lot more than just my using the phone.

"Miss Swan…"

"Please, just Bella. No need to be formal, _Tanya_."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Bella, as a reminder, we have a strict 'No Personal Calls policy, unless it is a dire emergency. Consider this your first warning. Once you get to your third, I will be forced to write you up."

"Tanya, please," my hands were outstretched, palms up, like I was trying to show her how unthreatening I really was. "It was just this one time."

She scoffed, "No, Bella, this was not. You do a lot of calls and texts, and you use the work email for personal email as well. Just consider yourself lucky that I haven't mentioned it to Mike yet. I don't know what kind of hold you think you have over him, but when he realizes what kind of a slacker you are, he'll make the right… move."

_What. The. Fuck!_

"Look, Tanya…"

She cut me off with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Just get back to work, this has taken up too much of my time already." She then turned on her heel and walked off.

XOXOXOXOX

"I don't know what her problem is with me, Rose, but she really pissed me off!" I was making rosemary chicken for us tonight. I had taken the risk at work to shoot off a text asking if she was free for dinner and, if so, that I would be cooking. I needed to keep busy doing something to keep me from plotting Tanya's demise.

"Well, just be careful, Bella, she is the one person in the company you don't want to screw with."

"Who's getting screwed?" Emmett appeared in the kitchen, grabbing his food out of the fridge before leaving for work.

"Bella," Rose replied.

"By who?" Emmett was throwing his stuff into the soft-sided cooler he used.

"Your brother," Rose tossed back.

This, of course, made me drop the pan I had just pulled from the cabinet onto the floor. As it clattered and spun, I tossed her a glare. Em, however, wasn't biting. "Har-har, Rosie. Like THAT would ever happen. Who is it really that you're having issues will BellaBean?"

Rose sat in her spot at the kitchen table, smirking at me from around her wine glass. "Just someone from work," I said, and turned back to the task at hand, filling a pot with water for pasta. I knew my face had turned red from Rose's remark, but I hoped if Emmett did see it, he would think I was just embarrassed from dropping the pan.

"Huh, well, sorry you're having issues. Need me to beat 'em up for ya?" he asked, coming over and mussing up my hair. Pulling away from him, I smacked his hand, but couldn't help the smile that crossed my lips. He really was the protective big brother.

"Nah, it'll work out."

Emmett turned and gave Rose a kiss goodbye, then grabbed his lunch bag. "OK, well, if you change your mind, let me know."

"Will do!"

Once he was gone, I turned to face Rose, who was now laughing quite loudly. "You should have seen your face, Bella! Oh, God! That was great!"

"Not funny, Rose. What if he believed you?"

"Ah, jeez, he wouldn't. Trust me when I tell you, Jasper and Emmett are clueless about why you and Edward had a falling out. They just think you got tired of your best friend being treated like shit by his girlfriend and refused to talk to him until he got his shit straight."

"Well, that _is_ part of it," I said, turning back to the stove.

"Yeah, well… tell me about your date with Jacob yesterday."

I turned the heat on under the water and set about cutting carrots for the new glazed carrots recipe I had been dying to try. "Rose, you don't need to ask, I know you don't like him."

She sighed, "Look, I may not trust him, but I didn't say he wasn't a nice enough guy. Plus you like him and you are a … well… a fairly good judge of character."

I laughed, knowing she was referring to Riley. I really had wasted too much time on that idiot.

"Well, we had a great time yesterday. He took me on a picnic to La Push and we spent the whole day out there."

"Really? It wasn't too cold?"

"He brought blankets and hot cocoa," I said, feeling the heat rising up from my chest. Just thinking about our tryst beneath the blanket was making me squirm.

Rose got up and came to lean against the counter by me. "Hey, what's that? Are you blushing? What happened on that beach yesterday?"

I giggled like a fifteen-year-old and checked the chicken. "We didn't have sex, if that's what you want to know."

"OK, so what then?"

I threw the carrots and the pasta into separate pots of boiling water, before turning to her. "Suffice it to say that I think we got to third base yesterday."

"Way to go, Bella! Wait, did you, you know, _blow him_?" She waggled her eyebrows at me.

In response, I rolled my eyes. "Nope, it was all about me, he didn't even pull it out from his pants."

"What?! Way to go even more! Oh, yeah!" She fist-pumped into the air and then did a ridiculous little dance that I know she picked up from her crazy husband. Then she stopped. "Oooh, what if it's deformed and he didn't want you to see it?"

I seriously couldn't take any more of this conversation. "I doubt that."

"What if it's _**small**_?" she questioned with disgust.

"Yeah, I don't think that's an issue. I may not have seen it, but I felt it, and it was quite sizeable. He just said that he didn't want to have sex out in public for our first time."

Rose went to fill her glass and handed me one as well. I sipped as I watched my pots boil.

"Bella, this seems to be getting serious. Is that what you want?"

I thought about it for a moment, "Well, we both seem to want a friendship above all else. He is the easiest person to talk to and makes me feel… safe. I know that sounds weird and all, but it's true. And I think we are both just… well, having fun right now. I get the impression that he isn't looking for anything long-term and he knows I'm not."

Rose drained her glass and got me the colander for the pasta. "You just might want to talk to him about it, make sure you're both on the same page."

"Agreed. I'm seeing him tomorrow, I'll bring it up then."

"Tomorrow, huh?"

"Yeah, he's moving into his friend's place, I'm going over there for beer and pizza."

Rose turned to me from the sink and put her hand over her heart, feigning surprise and shock. "_What?_ Little Bella Swan drinking on a school night? Impossible!"

"Keep it up, Rose." I shook my spoon at her. "Besides, he's getting me soda or something, instead. And, besides, I'm having wine with you tonight, aren't I?"

"True, but one glass of wine with me is no big deal. Beer does something more to you, and one may lead to two, which may lead to three…which could very possibly lead to sex. Hot. Drunk. Sex."

I swung my spoon at her and she dodged it. "I can't tell you a thing! Now, get out the plates."

XOXOXOXOX

Tuesday was uneventful and I found myself counting down the minutes until I could leave. I had shut down my computer ten minutes before my time to leave, waiting impatiently for the time to pass, pushing things around my desk and trying to look busy. Ffive minutes later, I couldn't take it any longer, and made my way to the elevators. I figured I could eat up that last five minutes chattering to Lauren downstairs. I pushed the button at the elevator just as it opened.

_Fuck me!_

Tanya was standing there, staring at me.

"Leaving early, Isabella?"

I really, _really_ hated the way she said my name, like it disgusted her. I tried my best to act surprised about the time. "Early? I thought it was a few minutes after, I didn't want to charge the company overtime when I hadn't asked for it." I didn't know how convincing I was.

Tanya stepped from the elevator, "Mmm-hmmm…well, plan to be here early tomorrow to make it up."

Apparently, I was not that convincing.

"Sure thing," I said over my shoulder, as I got on the elevator and pushed the button to go down.

I made it to Jake and Embry's apartment in twenty minutes and rang the bell. A tall, lanky Native American guy answered the door. He was shirtless and his arms and chest were covered with a variety of tribal tattoos. He flashed me a big smile.

"You must be Bella! I'm Embry," he said, holding his hand out to shake mine. "Welcome to our place. Come on in."

I smiled at him, he was overly-friendly, just like Jacob. I walked through the door and around the corner as Jake stepped into the hallway, scrubbing his hair with a towel. He had on jeans and nothing else. Bare chest and feet, a look I quite liked on him. He gave me his winning smile and walked over to me, throwing the towel over his shoulder.

"Hey, beautiful." He kissed me on the cheek and pulled back, motioning to his friend, who had moved over to the large leather sofa. "You've met Embry?"

"Yep."

"Cool. Well, that's the living room," he said, pointing at the large space to my right with the leather sofa and large flat screen. Embry seemed to have all the electronics a bachelor's pad would need, including the obligatory electric guitar and amp in the corner. Either he'd been shopping since the breakup with his girlfriend or she'd walked out with nothing. Either way, I wasn't going to ask.

"You're sort of standing in the dining room. The kitchen is through there." He motioned to my left where there was a pass-through window and a door from the dining room into the small galley-style kitchen.

"And if you follow me…" he said, leading me back to the hall he had just stepped from. There was a door at either end.

"The bedroom here, to the right, is Embry's; it's a bigger master suite and a full bath with a shower and a fancy tub. Mine is down here." We walked to the other bedroom. "It has a bathroom, as well. But the door also goes out to the hall."

His room was big enough for a queen bed. It was made up in burgundy sheets with a black comforter, no headboard, and a simple six-drawer dresser. "As soon as I get my first paycheck, I'm gonna get my own TV in here and a laptop. Maybe even a mini fridge, so I don't have to leave the room," he said, smiling down at me. I peeked into the bathroom from the door in his room and was pleasantly surprised to see it was quite clean. The shower and toilet were in a small room with a pocket door that separated them from the sink and the door back to the hall.

"It's nice, Jake."

"Yeah, and they have a gym I can use with a sauna. It's a great deal."

"When do you start work?" I asked, dropping down on his bed to bounce on it and check out the mattress. After all, the wrong mattress could really ruin a person's sleep.

He watched me, scratching the back of his head and then joined me on the bed. "Next Monday. So, I'm a free man until then." He grabbed my hand and kissed it. "Bella, I wanted to talk to you…"

The doorbell rang just then and Embry yelled out, "Pizza!"

Jake stood up, shaking his head, and holding out a hand to me. "Let's go eat."

Four slices of pizza and the same number of beers later, I was feeling quite nice. Jacob had bought me soda… and Kool-Aid, but I decided to have a beer, which led to another and so on. The guys had me rolling, we were watching one of those shows where people do stupid things for the sake of a million dollars. Normally, I would have dismissed the show, but Jake and Embry talked over it, adding their own hilarious narration, which made it much funnier and much more enjoyable.

After dinner, we started watching a Jim Carrey movie and I snuggled into Jake's side on the couch. I had a couple more beers and was feeling the nice, warm fuzziness of a buzz settling in. I normally never would have gotten this inebriated on a work night, and I smiled inwardly at just how much fun I was having with Jacob. He wasn't forcing me to be anything other than myself but he encouraged me to let loose. Something I was not used to doing.

Embry excused himself to head to bed since he needed to be up at four in the morning. Jake muted the television and turned to me, "Bella, look, I want to say this while it's on my mind. I really like you and love spending time with you. But, I have a lot of stuff I am trying to take care of right now."

My heart sank, afraid he was kicking me to the curb, and here I was, too drunk to drive. I probably couldn't even _walk_ to the curb right now.

"I know we talked about this a little on Sunday, but I really want to be your friend and everything else is just, whatever…" he looked down and shrugged.

"Whatever? What does that mean?" My heart rate climbed and I shifted so I was sitting sideways on the couch, looking at him.

"This is not coming out right," he said, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. He grabbed my right hand with his left and kissed it. "I'm just trying to say that I think we're both in the same place, not looking for anything serious, but wanting a friend…? I think?"

He looked at me with fear in his eyes. I had to laugh, I knew what he was attempting to say. He was saying it poorly, but at least he was trying. "Yes, Jake, I'm not looking for anything serious. But I'm having a great time with you. If that's OK with you, too, then yeah, we can just keep doing what we're doing." My buzzed brain was impressed that I was able to form a slightly coherent sentence.

He let out a breath, "OK, cool." He grinned over at me. "You're totally drunk."

I giggled, "I am!"

"What about work tomorrow? I can't let you drive home, obviously. And I can't drive. You need to stay the night. Do you want to get up early and head home? I can set the alarm clock…" he would not shut up.

"Shhhhhh…." I placed a finger on his lips, "Jake, I'm ditching tomorrow. Let's spend the day together doing something. Just a couple of _whatevers_."

He laughed. "You sure are cute when you're drunk."

"Yes, I am," I nodded at him. He gave me that money-winning smile and I melted. I had enough brain cells firing that I knew, without a doubt, that Jacob Black would always be a great friend, and that he wasn't going to ask for any more than I was willing to give.

I stood up from the couch, weaving slightly. "I'm sleepy, wanna go to bed?"

"I haven't had an offer that good in forever," he said, as he stood up.

We made our way around the living room, hand-in-hand, as he turned off the TV and lights, and then walked us down the hall to his room. He handed me a new two-pack of toothbrushes, saying, "Pick the color you want." He went over to his dresser and got out a t-shirt for me to wear to bed.

I laughed as I took the blue-handled toothbrush, leaving him the pink one. He came in to brush his teeth next to me and saw what I had done. "Hey, I'm secure enough in my masculinity to use a pink toothbrush. You ain't hurting me, woman."

He shoved me with his arm and I nearly fell over since I was already having a difficult enough time standing due to my intoxication. Of course, this led to a giggle fit and toothpaste drooling from my mouth and down the front of the black blouse I wore today.

Looking down at myself I grumbled, "Ahhhhh… fuuuuuck. Now I'm gonna have to take this off." I began to pull the shirt over my head without unbuttoning it.

Jake stilled me. "OK, kiddo, I have a shirt for you here."

Getting me back into his room, he helped me take off my shirt and work pants, my shoes having been long ago discarded, and slipped his white t-shirt over my head. It hung almost to my knees.

"Weeeeeeee!" I spun around making it flare and then fell into his chest. "I'm so dizzzzy, Jake."

Jacob kissed my head and laid me down onto his bed, pulling the sheet and blanket up under my chin. He walked around to the other side, turned off the light, and climbed in behind me. He slid closer and rested an arm around my waist, tracing circles on my stomach through the shirt.

The alcohol was beginning to pull me under and I was willingly letting it, feeling more safe and warm than I had in a very long time.

I remembered hearing Jake talking to me about how great I was and beautiful and then he paused before asking, "Bella?"

"Hmmmmm?"

"Do you love him?"

"Yes." I remembered whispering the affirmative to his question as I sighed and drifted further into sleep. Just before I was out, I heard him whisper one more thing, "Then he's a fool…"

XOXOXOXOX

_Jacob. Jacob is naked and lying on the beach, reaching for me. God, he is a beautiful sight, with his rippling muscles. I'm walking toward him and looking down, I'm naked as well. As I look back to him, he gives me a mischievous smile._

_"Come here," he says, as he props himself up on one elbow, reaching out to me with the other hand. I walk to him and kneel down, staring into his eyes. "Kiss me, Bella," he says._

_"Bella…"_

"_Bella…"_

"**Bella!"**

"SHIT! What?!" I sat straight up and then regretted it as my head began to pound and I instantly felt nauseous. Jacob was beside me.

"I'm so sorry," he said, while he rubbed circles onto my back, "but your phone has been going off. Texts from Rose and some Lauren girl."

_Fuck._

"What time is it?" I laid back down, slowly, and pinched my eyes closed. Thank God it looked like Jake had invested in light-blocking curtains.

"Nearly nine in the morning. Sorry, I didn't wake up until I heard your phone," he said, handing it to me.

I read through the texts.

Rose wondering if I was coming home.

Rose wondering if she needed to send out a search party.

Rose wondering how big… oh, never mind.

I skipped to Lauren's texts which basically asked where I was and that Tanya was looking for me.

Great. Just fucking lovely.

I immediately scrolled to the main number for work and hit 'Send'. Lauren answered, "Newton Publishing. How may I direct your call?"

"Heyyyyy Lauren. It's me. Bella." God, I felt like shit and probably sounded it too. I realized I might be able to play this off, if I did it right.

"Bella, you sound horrid. Where have you been? Tanya has been calling me to see if you had called or come in yet."

I decided to work the sick angle. "Yeah, I came down with something. Can you put me through to her? Might as well get it over with."

"OK, well I hope you feel better. Hey, how's that hottie that you were on the sidewalk with last week? He sure was fiiiiine. I'd like to get me a piece of that…"

"Lauren!"

"Yeah?"

"Please, put me through to Tanya."

"Oh, sorry, Bella, sure thing, here you go."

The line went quiet and then the hold music started. I waited what seemed like forever before Tanya finally picked up.

"Belllllaaaaa, Lauren says you're sick?"

_Sick of YOU._

"Yeah, must be a twenty-four hour bug or something. It just came over me last night. Slept right through the alarm clock."

"Mmmmm… hmmmmm…"

_Condescending bitch._

"Um, yeah, so I won't be in today."

"Well, I'll mark it down as a sick day. But don't make a habit of this Bella, no matter how good looking the guy is…"

_What the hell? Was she having me watched?_

"Not sure what you mean by that Tanya, but OK. 'Bye then."

I hung up, before she could get another word in. She was seriously beginning to cheese me off.

Jacob ran out for bagels, coffee, and aspirin, while I hit the shower. I hated the idea of wearing yesterday's underwear, but I needed the shower to feel normal. And there was just no way I was going commando.

I got out of the shower and dressed back in my work pants and Jake's t-shirt, then scrounged in my purse for a hair tie before deciding to text Rose back. I knew I needed to send her something so she wouldn't worry.

Making my way out to the sofa, I shot her a quick note.

_**All's fine. No search party needed. Don't know how big it is and have a horrid hangover. See you tonight. – B**_

I knew she would be busy at work and I wouldn't hear back from her for a while. Jacob came back in and joined me on the couch.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, as he handed me a coffee and some aspirin.

I added sugar and creamer to the steaming cup of heaven and swallowed the aspirin dry. "Like I was run over by a semi, thanks for asking."

He gave me that deep laugh. "Well, that's to be expected. You had a lot to drink and you _are_ kind of puny!" He emphasized this by squeezing my arm above my elbow.

"Hey! I'm not that puny! Hand me a bagel." I reached out, wiggling my fingers, and he dug a paper-wrapped bagel out for me.

"I took a chance, knowing you don't live on the wild side. I figured those 'everything' bagels were out…I stayed with blueberry."

I smiled when he handed me the warm bagel and as I unwrapped it, I could see the thick layer of cream cheese oozing out of it.

"It's actually my favorite. Thank you."

He put on the TV and we watched some morning talk shows as we ate. My phone chimed letting me know I had a text. It was Rose, just sending me a winky face and that was it. Just as well, I didn't need a lecture from her right now on how I was "skipping school" and how "un-Bella-like" that was.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Jake asked, as he gathered our trash and headed for the kitchen.

I thought about it for a moment. "Absolutely nothing."

"Well, I say we have an X-Box day." He came back in and went over to the TV, switching on the game system.

"I have no idea how to play any of that crap, Jake."

"I'll teach you," he said, walking back to me and handing me a wireless controller. "Starting with _Assassins Creed_."

Six and a half hours later, Embry walked in and laughed at us. There were chip bags and soda cans littered across the coffee table, and I was jumping up and down yelling about how I'd just killed a zombie. It was then I realized how much time had gone by and that I should head home.

Packing it in, I got my stuff together and headed for the door.

"So," I said, as Jacob walked me to my car. "I'll see you Saturday at the party, right?" I unlocked my car and turned to face him. Jake was rubbing the back of his neck and seemed to be studying the ground.

"Yeah, um… I'll be there. I might not get there until nine or so, if that's OK. I have something to… do... first."

One of these days, I was going to twist that boy's arm… or something else… to tell me what the hell was going on. But, in the interest of our budding friendship and all, I decided not to push it today.

"Cool. Well, thanks again for last night and today." I wrapped my arm around his waist. He pulled back and looked down at me, grinning again, "Today was fun, wasn't it? You liked the video games!"

"Yeah, I rocked at killing zombies!" I did a little dance and he laughed at me.

Smacking me on the ass, he opened my car door. "OK, woman, get home. You actually have to go to work tomorrow."

"Ugh," I plopped down in my car seat. "Don't remind me."

Leaning in to give me a chaste kiss, he whispered a "'bye" to me and closed my door. Jake stayed on the curb and watched me drive away.

We had never gotten back to our conversation from last night, the one where we discussed being friends and 'whatever'… I had to smile. I had been more relaxed from hanging out with Jake than I had been in a while. I figured that whatever happened, I was happy that Jacob Black had walked into my life. The day I ran into his rock-hard chest was the best day…ever.

In fact, I could probably even deal with Edward right now.

Maybe.

* * *

**AN - Been cleaning up some chapters... thanks to my Beta.. Mauigirl60 :) She Rocks!  
Please, leave some kindness...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Welcome back... I don't own these characters... but biker Jake is mine ;-)**

* * *

Chapter 9

I spent the last hour pacing my living room, cell phone in hand, working up the courage to call Edward.

Today, work had been horrible.

After my day off with Jacob yesterday, I went home in a great mood. I felt more self-assured than I had in a very long time. It was great to know that Jacob and I were in the same place with our thoughts on our "relationship". I found him easy to talk to and even easier to let loose with. I was fully aware that there was something he was hiding from me, but I truly believed it wasn't anything so major that it would cause me to walk away from him as a friend. When he was ready, he would tell me.

I knew going to work today that I would be dealing with some flack from my HR representative for calling out. I had decided, after getting home from Jacob's, not to check my work email. I had dinner with Rose, allowing her ample time to pick on me for being spontaneous and playing hooky.

"Bella, I think someone may have removed the stick from your ass!" she exclaimed, over our third glass of wine. I was beginning to understand I could have a fun life without the regimentation I had created for myself. This, in turn, meant that I was beginning to come to terms with my relationship with Edward. I had been battling myself for so long - the "Good, Straight-Laced Girl" versus the "Carefree, Uninhibited Girl" - that I had forgotten how to just enjoy life. Now that I was doing just that, I found the two were beginning to merge into one well-rounded, more relaxed Bella Swan.

However, not checking my work email last night meant that I didn't see the meeting notice from Tanya until I got into work this morning. Caught unprepared, since the meeting was scheduled for fifteen minutes after the time I was scheduled to start work, I had barely enough time to review any pertinent emails that might have led to this meeting, and then checking myself in the bathroom mirror before going up to her office.

The third floor is the executive floor. It has a large, glass-walled meeting room in the center, with offices running the length of either side. A lounge area sat just off the elevators, with a sofa and a flat-screen television. The wall opposite the elevators on the other side of the meeting room was all windows, which looked out over the park across the street. It was picturesque - or meant to be - but today, I couldn't focus on the trees or the unusually sunny skies on the other side of the window.

I stopped and the receptionist's desk to the left of the elevator and told her I was here to meet with Tanya. I was instructed to wait in the lounge area. So, crossing in front of the elevators, I had a seat on the leather sofa, and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After thirty minutes, I was beginning to get pissed off. I knew Tanya well enough to know she was a very punctual person. She was keeping me waiting to make a point. And the longer I waited, the more my palms dampened from nerves, my heart rate rose from frustration, and the more I decided that Tanya was just out to fuck with me. For whatever reason, I was on her hit list.

"Bella," her sharp voice called from behind me. I spun my head and jumped up from the couch.

"Tanya."

"Come with me, please," she said, turning on her stiletto heels and heading to her office. She was in a pencil skirt that was so tight, I could see her panty lines; panties that were apparently too small. God, what was with this woman? Could she not see what she looked like when she got dressed?

She stopped outside her office door and motioned me in, while tossing her long, stringy hair over her shoulder. Following me in, Tanya closed the door and sat across from me, behind her desk. Instead of speaking to me, she turned toward her computer and began typing. It looked as if she was responding to emails. She made a call and then, finally, turned her attention back to me about ten minutes later. She was definitely trying to emphasize that she was in control.

I was already digging my nails into my palms to keep myself from smarting off to her before she even opened her mouth. I knew, without a doubt, that nothing good was going to come from this conversation.

"Bella, we need to talk about your attendance. I have been reviewing your time sheets and it seems you have an issue with making it to work on time, and back from lunch on time."

"_Bullshit!"_ That's what I wanted to yell, but couldn't. Instead, I sucked in a breath and loosened my fists before I began to draw blood from my own palms.

"Tanya, I'm not sure what you're referring to, as I am one of the most punctual people on my floor. I am nearly always at my desk and logged on to my computer five minutes before my scheduled start time. I rarely leave the building for lunch and any time I've returned a few minutes over, I stay to make up for it. If this has something to do with my taking time off yesterday, it was a fluke. I haven't taken a sick day in…"

I was cut off with a raised hand.

The bitch gave me her raised hand to shush me.

"Bella, you took sick time four months ago. We are okay with our employees needing time off, but you need to be aware of how your absence affects those you work with. In addition, I have your time card and log-in sheets. You have been late, multiple times, over the last six months. I am forced to present you with a Written Warning to document we have had a discussion regarding this, and that you understand that another occurrence will result in a Final Written Warning, with a possible termination."

I swallowed hard as she slid a paper over toward me to sign. She read it out loud to me, but I didn't register anything that she'd said since my mind was spinning. I knew I hadn't been late the times she was citing me for, but I was also certain if I checked my timesheets myself, now, I would see exactly what was in front of me. The woman saw me as some sort of threat to her obsession with Newton. I didn't want the fucktard, but I was unable to convince her of that. I had become the bane of her existence and she was going to make my life hell.

The situation seemed irrational to me as I made my way back to my cubicle with a copy of my Written Warning in hand. I had worked here long enough to have heard the stories of others who had pissed Tanya off and found themselves with a pink slip six months later. But, no one had ever been able to prove that there was anything malicious about what the HR executive was doing. No one ever fought it since there usually was something that they _had_ done that might have warranted their firing. But, _me_? I kept to myself, eyes down. I was the straight-laced, rule-abiding Bella Swan.

Or I used to be.

So, I found myself wanting to talk to the only person who knew me well enough to know that all of this was total bullshit. Edward would know what to tell me to calm me down. I wanted, or rather needed, to talk to my best friend.

I stopped pacing the room and stepped over to the couch, flopping down and finally hitting his name on my phone. Instantly dialing the number, I knew there was no turning back, he would see I had called if I chose to hang up. I drew in a breath as the phone made it to the fourth ring. Then the fifth. I nearly disconnected when he answered.

"Hey," his soft voice warmed me to the core. Even after all my anger toward him, he was still the one person who could make me feel safe and warm exactly when I needed it. Jake was working toward that, but with Edward, it was just… different. It always would be.

"Um, hey. How are you?" I asked, my voice squeaking. "It took you a while to answer, am I interrupting something? I can call back if I am. Or, you can call me back. You know, whatever works for you, works for me. I just needed to talk to you and you know, I hoped it was okay to call. But, if you're busy or still upset or whatever…"

"Bella," he chuckled into the phone, "I wasn't busy. Just sitting at my desk still and couldn't get to my phone fast enough. I must admit, I was surprised when I saw it was you calling."

"Surprised? Like bad surprised or good?" I held my breath waiting for the answer.

"Good, of course. Always good. I've missed you."

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face, "I've missed you, too, Edward. Why are you still at work?" It was nearly eight and he should have been long gone. Dating the boss' daughter had its advantages, like never working a minute later and the occasional extended lunch hour.

He cleared his throat and said, "Just have some stuff I'm going through, getting in order. So, not that I'm complaining, but why are you calling?"

I rested my head on the back of the sofa and unloaded everything that had been going on with Tanya. After I was done, Edward advised me to begin logging everything, keeping notes of my interactions with her and taking pictures of my computer screen showing the dates and times I was at my desk. It was great talking to him again and by the end of the conversation, he had me laughing and plotting Tanya's untimely demise. We switched our conversation to the party on Saturday and declined sharing our costumes with each other, deciding it would be more fun just to be surprised. "Besides," he said, "mine is lame as shit and I'd rather just deal with you laughing at me once on Saturday, instead of doing it tonight and then again when you see me."

We said good night and ended the call.

I sat on the couch staring at my phone and shaking my head, it was like we hadn't missed a beat. But he sounded different, just a little. A little more serious, perhaps? I wasn't sure, but something was going on. I'd add that to the list of mysteries the men in my life were keeping from me.

Speaking of mystery men, I shot off a text to Jacob. He told me about his day, saying that he would be busy Friday and most of Saturday, but that he would see me Saturday night. I couldn't wait.

XOXOXOXOX

"Bella, are you sure he isn't gay?" Alice asked, as she added the knuckle lines to the cookie witch fingers she was making. She had dyed sugar cookie dough green, and was adding almond slices to the tips to look like fingernails.

Rose sniggered from the other side of the kitchen where she was making pigs in blankets. "What?!" I exclaimed. I was on spiral sandwich duty, lining different flavors of wraps with meats and cheeses, rolling, slicing and placing them on a large platter. Rose was expecting at least fifty people here tonight.

"He is not GAY!" I had stopped mid-slice, emphasizing my displeasure of what she said by pointing my knife at her.

"Are you sure?" Rose chimed in, sliding her pan into the oven. "You haven't had sex yet. I mean, you've done plenty of other stuff, I suppose. But, I mean, you slept in his bed! Slept! He didn't even make a move on you! And you admitted he has some big-time secret he's not telling you. He's gay!"

"He's soooo gay!" Alice sang, as she also slid her pan into the oven.

I huffed and turned back to my wraps. "Okay, you two, even if he were, which he's NOT, there isn't anything wrong with that. But, just so we're straight, he's not gay."

"Who's not gay?" Emmett chimed in, walking into the kitchen with an armload of decorations.

"Jacob," Rose said, as she went to her husband and began to sort out the fake webbing from the streamers.

"Oh, he isn't gay," Emmett said, as he swiped one of my spiral sandwiches. "He oozes straight male testosterone."

"Who's oozing?" Jasper said, walking in with bags from the local liquor store.

"Bella's boy-toy, Jacob," Alice said, as she grabbed the makings for a crock pot cheese dip, and kissed her soon-to-be-husband.

"He isn't my boy-toy, he isn't oozing and he isn't gay!" I exclaimed, smacking Emmett's hand as he attempted to pilfer another spiral.

"We'll see about that, Bella," Rose said, as she turned toward the dining room with her decorations, "if you two don't screw tonight, then you seriously need to consider changing your opinion on that."

"Hey, we could set Marcus and Alec on him, they can give him the "straight or gay test"!" Alice jumped in, clapping her hands. The damned sprite would totally put those two up to it, too. Marcus and Alec had been together for five years and loved fucking with the other guys, giving them their "test".

"Nahhh, my money's on Jake and Bell-a-bye here getting it on tonight!" Emmett declared.

Jasper walked over to him, high-fiving him. "Me, too! I don't even know the guy, but my odds are on him! They'll be knockin' boots by midnight!"

"Hey!" was all I could get out as Alice and Rose crowded around their two partners in the small breakfast nook.

"Oh, you are both on!" Alice pointed a finger at both men.

"Yeah!" Rose exclaimed. "Fifty says they don't do the deed at ALL tonight!"

"Um, hello? What the fuck, you guys?" They were seriously betting on my getting laid tonight. How screwed up was that shit?

They all turned to me and laughed.

Good grief.

XOXOXOXOX

After we had the food prepared and either in the fridge or on the table, the girls and I went up to my place to get ready.

Em and Jazz insisted they had to set up the bar area. Plus, they did live in a residential neighborhood, although the houses were spaced fairly well-apart, so there would still be the regular trick-or-treaters coming to the door for candy. The guys loved to pass out the candy, admiring the different costumes.

It was dark when we went up to change and we spent the next two hours primping. As we made our way back down, it was nine and the first of the party guests started to arrive.

Marcus and Alec were first. The lives of any party, this year they came dressed as Miss J and Mister J, from "America's Next Top Model". Last year, it had been Sonny and Cher. "Oooooohhhh, Gur-al!" Marcus aka Miss J said, spinning me around like a ballerina, one hand over my head. "You are HAWWWWT!"

I had to admit, I was.

The skirt fit snugly, but had a slit in the thigh that I hadn't realized was there the first time I'd tried it on. I attributed that to my haze induced by "Jacob meeting the Mystery Lady" that day we were shopping. My lace-edged thigh highs could be seen through the slit, which also showed the skin above them. The white blouse was unbuttoned enough so that my cleavage, which was pushed up and out by the Victoria's Secret _Wonder Bra_ I was wearing, was on full display.

Alice had twisted my hair into a spinster's bun and shoved a couple of pencils through it. I had my dollar store readers hanging around my neck with a long eyeglass chain. I was given a wooden ruler to carry that Alice had written, "Have you been a bad boy?" on one side and "Let's see how you measure UP" on the other. The final item she'd added was a "Hello, My Name Is…" sticker that read:  
_Miss Swan, Educator Extraordinaire_**. **

I finished my spin at Marcus' hand, proud of myself for staying stable on my stilettos, as more guests started filing in through the front door. I made my way to the kitchen to help Rose and Alice get the rest of the food in place and then headed to the bar. Emmett had made his Ghouls Brew and I had a solo cup filled of the green liquid. To this day, I had no idea what was in it, but I knew two cups was usually my limit if I wanted to stay somewhat coherent.

I was halfway through nursing my drink, staring at the clock and wondering when the hell Jake would show up, when I heard Emmett's booming voice, "Edward!"  
There were other hoots and hollers from the now-packed living and dining rooms as I presumed Edward was making his rounds. I was in the kitchen listening to Kate and Garret discussing the philosophical lyrics of The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Emmett and Jasper had decided we were going "old school" on our music tonight. Only bands from the eighties and early nineties would be played. Currently, people were bouncing to "911 is a Joke" by Public Enemy.

My heart starting beating faster, knowing this would be the first time I will have seen Edward since I decided to loosen up and talk to him again. He stepped through the kitchen door and I couldn't help but laugh. Not a regular laugh, but the kind that made me thankful that Alice had used the waterproof mascara on me tonight.

"What the fuck _are_ you, Edward?" Garret asked.

I was still laughing.

I calmed down enough to look up at him. He was now about six feet from us, with a look on his face that said he was about to tear Garret's throat out if he didn't lay off.

"Ed… Edward," I managed to get out, "you fucking sparkle!"

He rolled his eyes at me as I attempted to get my laughter under control. "Did Emmett and Jasper see you? I mean, _really_ see you? How did they let you by them looking like _that_?"

He was clad in a pair of black jeans and a grey v-neck t-shirt. His hair was messier than normal, styled to stick out in a thousand different directions. Ray Bans on his face, his skin had been paled with what I assumed was some sort of costume makeup and he was glittering all over, like he had been rubbed down with a sparkling body lotion. I noticed that he had fake teeth attached to his canines, making them look longer, and that's when it hit me.

"Oh. My. God. You're that vampire kid from those books!" Saying it out loud started me off on another laughing fit.

He pulled off the shades and hung them on the neck of his shirt. "Bella, shut the fuck up, okay? This costume, if that's what you can even call it, was not my idea. Jessica loved those damned books and said it was her fantasy to live them out."

I looked over his shoulder and saw Jessica, sauntering through the dining room, talking to this person and that, in a cheerleader costume.

"Um, Edward, she isn't dressed like the main female character in the book," I said looking back at him.

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, she says that the books would have been better had he ended up with the popular cheerleader, so she's rewriting the story."

"Mannnnnnn… can you say pussy-whipped?" Garret slurred out, clearly having partaken of more than two cups of Ghouls Brew. Or, it could be the pot he reeked of. Either way, I had forgotten he and Kate were even standing there. But, that's what happens to me when Edward enters the room, everyone and everything else simply fades away.

"Shut your mouth, Garret, before I shut it for you," Edward said, staring coldly at him.

Garret raised his hands, palms out. "Dude, chillax! Come on, Kate, let's go dance."

The song had changed to "Love Shack" by the B-52s.

We were alone in the kitchen, most people were milling around the food or in the living room. Some were on the front or back porch, the designated smoking sections.

"So…" I said, feeling somewhat awkward. Edward was looking me up and down, stopping on the slit in my skirt and again at my billowing chest before ending back at my eyes.

"Wow, Bella, you look…"

"Belllllaaaa! How are you?" Jessica came to stand next to Edward, hooking her arm through his. She wore a smug look on her face. Her blonde hair was swept up in a high pony tail and her uniform skirt was so short that I knew I would see her ass when she turned around.

"Jessica," I replied curtly, "I'm good."

Edward was my friend and, by God, I wasn't going to allow her to come between us. I know the physical desire between us would always still be there, but I was willing to push it aside to have him in my life. But damned if I wasn't going to let her make me feel inferior, or as if I didn't matter.

"Edward," I turned my attention back to my friend, "how are your parents? Has Esme put out her Thanksgiving menu yet?"

It was a running joke that every year, Esme Cullen ignored Halloween altogether, choosing to prepare for what she considered a far more important holiday, Thanksgiving. She was notorious for beginning her menu planning by mid-October.

He laughed, "You know she has! Jeez, it's ridiculous! Remember that year she started her pies on the first of November?" He was laughing at the memory.

"I do! And Em kept trying to eat them, said they were making the house smell too good and he just wanted to try one!" I remembered that year. She was in full-out baking mode. Pies of all kinds, anything she could bake and freeze, only to be thawed, heated and served on the actual holiday.

"And he stole that cherry pie and tried lying to mom when she accused him of stealing it. He said he didn't take it, that since she was cooling them on the back deck, maybe some animal came and took it!" His eyes were watering from his laughter.

"But she knew he was lying…" I said.

"_Because his teeth were red!" _We both exclaimed at the same time.

Jessica shifted her gaze between the both of us; if it were possible to kill me with a look, I would be dead on the floor.

"That must have been something," she said. Edward, babe, come on, I want to dance." She pulled him by the arm out of the kitchen. Edward looked back at me, giving me his crooked grin, and shrugging his shoulders.

An hour went by and still no Jacob.

I was becoming increasingly irritated, between watching Jessica bump and grind on Edward, and the fact that I was standing alone. I decided the best way to handle the situation was by drinking.

I was on my third cup of Ghouls Brew and feeling brave when I finally saw Edward making his way to the food table, alone. Jessica had disappeared somewhere, but I knew she wouldn't be gone for long, so I needed to get what I wanted to say out of the way and do it fast.

"Edward," I tapped him on the shoulder. He spun to face me and smiled, but then looked around, I assumed to see if Jessica was anywhere in sight.

"Look, I have something to say…" I started, but he grabbed my hand and headed for the door that led to my apartment upstairs. Rose had hung a sign on the door that said "Keep Out or Die", to ensure my personal space would be left alone. Edward opened the door and led me through, pushing it closed behind him.

We were standing in the half-light of the stairwell. I had left the light on up at the landing so I could make my way up the stairs later tonight.

Edward was about a foot away from me, and I noticed both of us were breathing a little harder. Just being so close to him was not a good thing, especially with as much as I had been drinking. Plus, I had seen Edward down at least half a dozen beers and just as many tequila shots.

"Hey," he said down to me, his voice deeper than normal.

"Hey," was all I could get out. I wanted to say so much more, needed to say it more than anything. I closed my eyes to will the words out, "Edward, I want more than anything to be your friend. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Bells," he said, reaching up and running a finger down my cheek.

"Edward," I grabbed his finger, pulling it from me, "I'm serious, please. I don't want this sexual tension stuff between us. You're with Jessica and I'm…"

"What if I wasn't?" he asked.

"What does that mean?" He seriously had to be screwing with me, asking me something like that.

"What if I got my shit together and left her? What then?" he asked, stepping closer to me. I took the half-step back that put me against the wall.

_Well, shit._

I was not going down this road. He was drunk and didn't know what he was saying. And I wasn't allowing myself to get drawn into this fucked up shit with him again. He was a good man, but he was acting like an ass. I pushed through the fuzz of my brain to try and get out what I wanted to say.

"Edward, you're my friend. That's it. You're with Jessica, you have no intention of leaving her, so stop talking like you are. Please, I just need my best friend back. No more of this fuck buddy shit. I'm seeing someone…"

"That Jacob guy?" he asked incredulously, pulling back slightly.

"Yeah, and I'm trying to move on with my life. Please, don't make it harder."

His hands were suddenly on the wall on either side of me as he leaned in. "Bells, _you_ are the girl I want." He leaned in and started kissing my neck, sucking and licking.

"Edward, please don't. Don't say what you don't mean. You're drunk." I balled my hands up and placed them on his chest, pushing at him to step back. His right hand snaked around my waist, pulling me closer.

"Come on, Bells," he whispered into my ear, as he sucked my earlobe.

"Edward, please, don't call me that. Not now. Back up." I pushed harder, but he was like a rock, unmoving.

"Bella, you're the girl for me, _always_," he said, kissing my neck again, as his hand slid down my back to grip my ass. My body was screaming at me. Everything about Edward made me come alive, and I wanted him so badly. But I wasn't allowing myself to go down this path again. I was reclaiming my life and my dignity and if he couldn't just be my friend, then… well… I guess we couldn't be friends at all.

The thought of that made me sad.

And then I got angry.

"Edward! Get the fuck off of me!" I yelled, pushing back on him again.

Suddenly, the stairwell was filled with light and noise as the door opened.

"I believe she asked you to back off," Jacob said from the doorway.

Edward stood up and I swore I heard a growl escape his chest. This was not what I had hoped would happen.

"What the fuck are you, a knight in shining armor?" Edward said as he stood up tall , seeming to grow a few more inches. The heaviness of the sudden testosterone filling the small space made my head spin.

"Actually," Jacob looked down at himself, "I'm a werewolf."

I took a long look at him and had to smile. He was, in fact, a werewolf. His jeans were ripped off at the knees and dirty, he wore a flannel shirt that was torn into shreds, revealing his glorious chest, and he was carrying a werewolf mask. His hair was a mussed-up mess, as much as it could be with as short as he wore it, and he had combat boots on. For whatever reason, those made me smile.

"Okay, Black, well, we were in the middle of something, so take off," Edward stated, positioning himself between us.

"Actually, I think whatever you had going on is done. Besides, there's this little cheerleader out here who's looking for you. You don't want me to tell her where I found you… do you?" Jacob turned his massive body to the side, allowing enough room for Edward to walk out.

Edward took one last look at me and then left, without another word.

Jacob stepped through the door and pushed it so that it was ajar. I could clearly hear the music and conversations from the other side.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, stepping closer. My anger was still boiling up inside me and I needed to release it.

I turned it on the only one who was there.

"Where the fuck have you been, Jacob? It's nearly eleven! I've felt like a complete ass standing out there all alone! Everyone has been asking for you and I had no fucking idea what to tell them! And then Edward! All I wanted to do was talk to him and he turned it into sex again, like always! Is that all I am to him? A sex toy? Why does he have to be that way? Why can't he just get the fuck out of my head?!"

Jacob pulled me into his arms as I ranted, rubbing my back, shushing me and telling me it was okay.

"How much have you had to drink, Bell?"

"Enough. Too much. I don't fucking know."

I pulled back from him. He held my shoulders and looked down at me. "I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm here now. Let's go make an appearance. I want to be seen with the sex kitten teacher."

He gave me that million-dollar smile and instantly, I felt better.

"Fine," I rolled my eyes, "I have a ruler around here somewhere. If you get out of line, I reserve the right to spank you with it."

He chortled, "I may take you up on that, Miss Swan."

He put his lower hand on my back and began leading me out of the doorway, when I was stopped by Jessica.

"Excuse us," Jake said from behind me, trying to push me forward.

"Uh-uh. You wait right there, Bella." She poked her finger into my shoulder and I looked around to see if Edward was anywhere in sight. He wasn't, but many others were and some of them took an interest in our stand-off.

"I don't know what in the hell you think you're doing with _my_ boyfriend, but you can knock it off, you desperate whore!"

"Hey! Watch it there!" Jake said, attempting to defend my honor.

"Jessica, look…," My head was getting fuzzier from the alcohol and I wasn't sure what I should or shouldn't say, so I ended up standing there, my mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"Don't even, Bella. I know he comes here to see you when we fight. I know what kind of home-wrecking whore you are and you need to back the fuck off!"

That was it, I couldn't take it any longer, I turned, pushing past Jacob and started up my stairs. I'd had enough of this night and just wanted to go to bed.

I heard Jacob behind me and as I made it to the landing at the top of the stairs, he grabbed my arm, spinning me so I was facing him.

"Bella, don't let her do that to you," he said, "don't let her belittle you."

I pushed against him and ended up with my back against the wall. He put an arm to my left side, keeping me from tumbling down the stairs.

"Jake, please, she's right. I am a horrible person. Just let me be." The tears began to well up in my eyes and as they fell, he wiped them with the pad of his thumb.

"Bella, you are a beautiful person who loves someone who can't love you back the way you deserve. _She_ is the horrible person because if she were any decent type of person, he wouldn't run from her like he does. You make me smile every time I think about you," he said, kissing my forehead. "Your smell is intoxicating," he said, kissing each cheek, "and I love spending time with you. In public, under blankets, all of it." He moved his kisses to my neck and I found myself tilting my head back to give him better access.

The party downstairs roared to life as "Give it Away" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers came on; I couldn't help but wonder if Garret was dancing to it.

Jacob continued his assault on my neck as he pushed his left knee between my legs, lifting it so his knee was pressed into the wall and my right leg was hanging up and over it.

"I love this outfit you have on tonight." He reached up and pulled the pencils from my hair and somehow managed to find the few clips that were holding it in place. I shook my head so it fell around my shoulders.

"Nice bra, by the way!" His left hand moved to my chest and started unbuttoning my blouse. I reached to hold him and he pulled back, grabbing both of my hands. Tisking me, he lifted them up and held them over my head, against the wall. His right hand easily circled my wrists and, while I was certain I could have pulled free, I allowed him to hold them there, in place.

His left hand finished unbuttoning my shirt and then pulled the cup of my bra down, taking my nipple into his mouth, tugging and pulling at it. The music continued its beat, making the wall behind me vibrate. Jacob slid his left hand down to my skirt, hiking it farther up to my hips. With my leg over his, I was spread open and exposed. He traced a finger up my thigh, causing me to shiver and moan as it ran along the side of my sex. He sucked and bit my nipple as he pushed aside what little fabric there was covering me, and began to stroke my wet folds, making me push into him, looking for more.

Chuckling against me, he removed his hand long enough to pull down the other bra cup and then went back to teasing my now-aching clit. Starting his assault on my other nipple, I pushed my chest into him. Everything was fuzzy, the music thumping and the people downstairs laughing and singing. It was erotic knowing that so many people were a mere twenty feet away. Jake started pushing one and then two fingers into me, setting an even pace and adding his thumb to the game by circling my clit. Pushing, pumping and stroking, I was going mad, feeling my release burning within me.

The music seemed to grow louder and the voices became more clear, but I couldn't be bothered to really notice as Jake brought me to the top of the ride. With one more hard rub on my clit, a pump of his fingers into me, and a hard suck on my nipples, I was literally screaming out my orgasm, muscles tightening as it seemed to go on and on.

When it finally ended, Jake moved his leg, allowing my right foot to touch the ground, letting go of my arms. I wrapped them around him as he leaned into me, kissing the right side of my neck and murmuring how beautiful I was. I turned my head, baring more of my neck to him, which meant I was now looking down the stairwell.

As I opened my eyes and adjusted to my surroundings, I noticed that the door into the stairwell was opened, but part of the light from below was blocked out. There was a shape, a shadow.

I blinked and realized what I was seeing.

Edward.

How much of our escapade he saw, I didn't know. But I could tell by the look on his face he had seen enough. It was so dimly lit that I couldn't make out exactly what emotion I saw…

Hurt?

Confusion?

Anger?

I stared down at him and our eyes met. He held my gaze for a few moments and then turned and left.

* * *

**A/N... Ahhhhh, Edward, what are we ever going to do with you?  
Things will be working out soon... promise! But no spoilers... you have to read it to find out.**

**:) Please leave some kindness... **


	10. Chapter 10

**Greetings... and welcome back.  
Don't own these characters... but I am sure having fun with them. :)**

* * *

Chapter 10

I cracked open my eyes and then immediately covered them with my hand. The small amount of sun filtering into the room caused immense pain. I felt around, momentarily wondering where the hell I was; when I felt my familiar flannel sheets and pillow, I relaxed a bit.

There was noise coming from the other side of my bedroom door. The clinking and clattering of pans, the refrigerator door being closed, the sink turning on. I removed my hand from my eyes and attempted to open them again. Blinking several times, my slow brain began to process the noises I was hearing from the kitchen.

Then there was whistling. Chipper whistling.

Jacob.

_Wait, Jacob?_

I slowly lifted the bedding off me and peeked underneath. I breathed out a sigh of relief when I saw I was wearing my underwear. Not the best scenario, since it was hardly an excuse for body covering. But I assumed if we'd had sex, then I would have been naked.

Letting my head sink back into my pillow, I closed my eyes tightly.

_Think. Think._

What had happened last night? At least I was in my own bed and didn't wake up either in the back yard or in the downstairs bathtub. That was good, right? But Jake was here. Of course, that didn't mean much. He could have slept on the couch. He was apparently making himself at home in my kitchen, so I deduced he most likely didn't partake in the spirits as much as I had.

That damned punch of Emmett's sure had a slow crawl. I'd felt fine one minute and then the next, everything had become a blur. I went back to the last thing I remembered, crying on Jacob's shoulder and seeing Edward. After cleaning myself up, Jake had convinced me to go back downstairs. He'd already confirmed with Rose that the party was now free of both Jessica and Edward.

So, I had gone back down and joined the festivities. I remembered that Paul had talked me into doing shots. Then my memory became fuzzy, but I remembered dancing, but with who? Leah? Alice? Oh, God. I vaguely remembered slithering and sliding along the bodies of my two friends, sandwiched in between them.

After that?

Nothing.

Until now, waking up in my bed, nearly naked, and with an extreme headache.

Jacob was still whistling a happy tune in the kitchen. I wanted him dead. He seriously needed to shut the hell up. And I seriously needed to pee and brush my teeth. It tasted as if something rotted in my mouth. Crawling off my bed, I grabbed an oversized t-shirt and some sleep shorts from my drawer, pulling both on. I quietly left my room, scooting into the bathroom before Jake could see me. Well, it wasn't so much a scoot as it was a semi-quick shuffle.

I took care of my personal business, washed my face and brushed my hair. Looking at myself in the mirror, I sucked in a deep breath. I had better talk to the man in my kitchen, and find out what other embarrassing things I had done last night.

I stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Jacob at my stove, scrambling eggs. The food actually smelled pretty good and my stomach growled.

Jake turned to me, "Morning Drunky McDrunkster. How are you feeling?"

I laughed, "My head is killing me, but other than that, I'm OK."

"Well, you ought to be, Rose helped me get a quart of water and some aspirin in you before we got you into bed last night. Which reminds me, there is another liter bottle in the fridge, drink that and take two more aspirin." He pointed the spatula toward the bottle of pills. Next to it was a bowl with change in it that wasn't normally on my kitchen counter. Quite a bit of change.

"Hey," I said, reaching into the fridge for the water and twisting off the cap. "What's with the bowl of change? You taking tips for working in the kitchen now?" I opened the aspirin bottle and shook out two.

"No, actually, you are," he grinned at me.

"Excuse me?" I asked, as I popped the pills in my mouth and took a long draw off the bottle of water.

"That's your tip, what you made for dancing last night."

I gagged, the water and half-dissolved pills nearly shooting from my mouth.

Jake reached over and patted me on the back. "You OK, there?"

After swallowing, I asked, "What the fuck do you mean, I made it from dancing?"

"Well, the little show you, Alice and that other chick put on was quite popular. That's your cut. I think there's just about eleven dollars in change there."

I just shook my head. There really wasn't anything else I could do. I had danced for money. Well, shit. "Jacob, please tell me I didn't remove clothing." With the mood I was in and the amount of alcohol I had in me, it was a distinct possibility.

"Well, not _then_…" he pulled a pan of biscuits out of the oven, which I hadn't realized he was baking. The man was a genius.

"What do you mean _not then_? Jacob Black, please do _not_ string me along!" He was laughing at me, not out loud, but I could tell. It was in his eyes.

"I'm just fucking with you, Bella. I mean, you did start unbuttoning your shirt in the middle of insisting on giving Marcus a lap dance. But Emmett and I stopped you."

"Seriously?"

Jake put eggs onto two plates, as well as a couple of biscuits. He handed me a plate, grabbed two forks and motioned me into the living room. "Yeah, you told him one lap dance from you and he'd be off guys for good."

"Oh, God, please shoot me now," I grumbled, as we sat at the small dinette table I kept to the side of my living room. He laughed and went back for two mugs of black coffee. He simply was the perfect man, skeletons in his closet and all.

Speaking of closets… I remembered that I had a question I really needed to ask him.

I shoveled a few bites of eggs into my mouth along with half a biscuit and then took a long swallow of coffee. Laying my fork down, I cleared my throat.

"Jacob, how come we haven't had sex? I mean, I'm pretty sure we didn't last night and we've been so close to it and all… I guess I just want to know, don't you… don't you want me? Like that?" I felt like an idiot. I mean, here I have this great guy taking care of me, cooking for me and taking the time to pleasure me on a few occasions, but I'm complaining because he's not selfishly jumping my bones.

Jacob swallowed his own mouthful, chuckling at me, "Of course I do, silly girl. What guy wouldn't want you? But, you know, any time we've been close, we've been in public or drinking and it never seemed like the right time. I mean, if we did it in public, I could show my ass, literally. And if I pushed for it when you'd been drinking, well then I would just be an ass. Plus, I like things the way they are between us. Don't you?"

I thought about it. I did like our friendship, but it had seemed like there was a spark between us, a sexual pull that we had never fully explored.

"So, you aren't… ummm… g_ay_?"

Now it was Jacob's turn to nearly spit his food across the table at me.

"What?! What the hell made you think that?" he managed to get out, while alternating between coughing and laughing.

Hmmmm. Should I tell him that my best girlfriends had planted that little seed in my brain? Why the hell not?

"Rose and Alice said that maybe that was why we hadn't, you know… done it."

"Done it?" He was still laughing. "What are we? Twelve? And why does it not surprise me that my 'Cheering Section' suggested that I was into dudes?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. He went back to eating and I watched him for a moment. Now that I thought about it, in the light of a new day, it did seem a little silly.

But still, he hadn't really answered the question…

"Well, you know you are all 'Mister Mysterious' with your 'I've got a dark past…blah blah blah'," I said with an overly-sarcastic and incredulous tone, using my fingers to make air quotes. I stood up from the table to carry my plate into the kitchen.

He followed me. "I thought girls liked mysterious men?" he said, matching the tone I'd used. He took the plate from me, pushing me away from the sink and started washing our dishes.

"Well, sometimes. But I notice you didn't answer my question."

He stopped what he was doing, dried his hands and turned to me. "What question was that again?" He was slowing stalking towards me.

"You know," I said, taking a step back from him, "are you gay?"

He lunged toward me, grabbing my hips., "No, I'm not," he grinned down at me, and then began to tickle my sides.

I screamed, well, like a girl, and twisted free of his hands, running toward my bedroom.

I quickly realized that was a horrible idea because I had nowhere to go but to the other side of the bed. I stood there, with my back pressed up against the wall.

Jacob walked slowly into the room. "Ahhhh, Bella, you just put yourself into a corner."

"That's what you think!" I did my best to jump across my bed, heading for the door. I was halfway to the Promised Land, when Jacob leapt onto the bed, reaching out, with very little effort, and grabbing me around the waist. The mattress dipped down under his size and the springs creaked. I lost my balance and ended up, once again, with my back up against the wall.

"Tsk, tsk, Bella. It seems you aren't as fast as you thought you were." He was grinning at me, scooting on his knees toward me, slowly closing the space between us.

"Now, about that gay thing…"

My heart was pounding harder as he leaned into me, holding my hips harder. He kissed my neck and jaw, heading toward my lips. I was beginning to think that we were finally going to cross that line, the one we'd been skirting since we met, when I heard my kitchen door slam.

"Bells! Bella?!"

My head shot up as Jacob pulled back, his chin dropping to his chest. I felt the exhale of his heavy breath fan across my chest and arms.

Edward was just outside my bedroom door, looking at us with that same look of pain I had seen on his face last night.

"Edward? What are you doing here? And why are you just walking into my home?" I mean, really? Didn't anyone respect my privacy any longer?

"Oh, shit, sorry," he said, looking down at the floor, and running his hand through his hair. He turned away from us, heading back toward the door. "I'm just gonna… gonna go…"

Damn it. He was here. He was here and I needed to know why. Jacob had already pulled back from me and made his way off the foot of the bed. I looked at him and he gave me a soft smile. I heard the kitchen door open and I was confused, unsure what to do. The man I loved, but who didn't love me back, was walking out, while the man I could try and make a future with stayed in front of me. If only we could try.

"Bella, go after him." Jake broke my confused thoughts.

"What?" I asked as I slowly climbed off the bed.

"Bella, you want to know the real reason why we haven't had sex yet?" he asked, his eyes searching mine.

I made the smallest nod.

"Because," he held my chin between his thumb and forefinger, "I don't want to make love to you when your heart clearly belongs to another."

He kissed my forehead. "Hurry up, go catch him."

Pushing aside the thought that there was also his secret that I was also sure stood in the way, I could only smile at him as I ran from the room. I made it out the door and saw Edward, just rounding his way off the stairs.

"Edward! Wait!" I ran down the steps, nearly slipping on the one before the bottom, before I slowed down. He was back at the bottom of the steps and grabbed my shoulders, catching me before I could bust my ass.

He gave me that crooked grin, "You okay?"

"Um, yeah. So, what… what did you want?" I asked, hoping that didn't come out as rude as I thought it did. I didn't mean for it to, I was just so befuddled, standing there with him. Especially after last night.

"Look, I wanted to apologize. First, for my behavior in the stairwell. It wasn't my finest moment and, well, I'd drunk a little too much."

"Ya think?" I quirked a brow at him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Yeah. And then, Paul came and found me. Apparently, I had missed Jessica's bitch-fest. Honestly, I had no idea that she was going to do that, I swear. But when I went looking for you, to see if you were okay, you were with him and you seemed so upset. And I'm sorry for that, Bella, she had no right to do that. Not at all."

"Edward… look…" I started, but he reached out and touched my cheek. The gesture stopped me. It was such an endearing touch that it froze me, made me unable to finish my thought. But then I realized I'd subconsciously leaned my face into his fingers.

"Are you happy?" He gave me a forced smile and stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"What? Me? Yeah, sure. But…" Yeah, he was touching me and I couldn't speak. My brain was still crawling out of its hangover fog and I was having a hard time trying to understand where this was going. Why was he really here? Just to apologize?

"I mean…" He pulled his hand back and stuffed both into his pockets, taking a half-step back. My skin suddenly felt cold from the loss of his touch. "You look happy. With him." He tilted his head up toward the house.

"Oh, Jake? Edward, Jacob and I, we are…."

"No, seriously, it's good. I want you to be happy, Bella."

_Was he ever going to allow me to finish a thought? _

"Look." His focus went down to the ground and I saw his forehead crinkle; his forehead always crinkled when he was serious. "I just wanted to come and apologize. Bella, you and I...well, I know I overstepped in our friendship. I took advantage of you and it wasn't fair. But, you have been and always will be my best friend. You know me like no one else does. Not even Jessica. I just want us to be friends again."

My chest deflated. I realized that somewhere, deep inside myself, I had hoped that he was here to declare his love for me.

That he was going to tell me he was leaving Jessica, consequences be damned!

That we would stand here and kiss, maybe in the rain (although it was sunny)…cue the cheesy music and the singing birds as the scene faded to black.

Yeah, I was hoping for my romantic ending.

It looked as if I wasn't going to get it.

I sat down on the steps, feeling a sadness creep through me.

"She's not going to like that, Edward. I'm assuming you're still with Jessica, that nothing has changed between the two of you since last night? Even though she seems to know everything, I'm pretty sure she isn't going to go for us being friends." My tone grew stern.

_What was he thinking?_

He moved to sit next to me and I slid over to make room.

"Bella, she does know. She knows everything. But she said she forgives me. Not that it matters much. I know my relationship with Jessica is not going to last much longer, but I have things I have to get in order. And to do that, I have to tow the line, just a little longer."

He still wasn't looking at me, but I could tell by the tone of his voice he was determined. He was going to make a change. Did he really mean he was finally going to leave her? Would he want me? I had no idea, and I wasn't going to ask. I was too afraid of the answer.

I touched his knee, trying to lend some comfort. It's what friends do, right? It's what I would have done, without questioning it, before things got so fucked up. His hand went on top of mine and he gently rubbed it as silence filled the air between us.

"Edward?" I had to ask. I knew he had seen Jake and I in the stairwell, but I wasn't sure if he had heard what was said. How long had he been standing there and had the music been too loud to hear anything anyway? I had to know. "Did you hear our conversation last night? Did you hear what I had said?"

He opened his mouth as if to say something and then closed it. He did it one more time before he abruptly stood, leaving my hand in the air where his knee had been.

"Look, Bella. I just want us to get back to where we once were. I'm glad you're happy, he seems good for you."

_What? _ We were back to discussing Jake and my non-relationship.

"Edward, Jacob and I are just friends," I finally got out.

"Really? But you two…" His eyes finally met mine and I saw something flash in them. Hope? I wasn't sure.

"Are. Just. Friends. I've been trying to tell you that. We have shared some… moments," I said, figuring that was the most delicate way to put it, "but we've decided that a friendship is best. He's just a great guy and he's helped me to, you know, loosen up a bit. I got drunk on a weeknight and called out sick!"

His head fell back as he laughed, "That you did! I still can't believe it."

"I know, right? Look, Edward." I stood and closed the space between us. "Whatever you have to work out with Jessica, just know that I am and always will be your friend."

_But God help me, I will always want to be more._

"Thanks, Bella. Look, I'd better go." He gave me that crooked smile and then kissed me on the cheek. His lips lingered there a little longer as he inhaled in. My eyes closed and I realized that all it would take would be for me to turn my head and our lips would meet. But before I could gather enough courage to make my move, he leaned back.

"I'll talk to you later," he smiled, and walked away.

XOXOXOXOX

"Alice! He just won't leave me alone! It's disgusting!" I involuntarily shivered as I walked from my building down the sidewalk to the coffee shop. I was on my lunch break, mindful of my time. I had exactly fifty-three minutes.

"What did he do today?" Alice was out picking up clothes for a client.

It had been a week and a half since the Halloween party. I had seen Jacob a couple of times, we talked on the phone, but nothing much else. Something was up. But right now, I was more concerned with my slimy boss.

"He sat at my desk today, telling me about the topless beaches at Seven Mile Beach in Jamaica. He said I would love it!" I shouted into the phone as I stomped my way down the sidewalk.

"Bella, this is getting close to sexual harassment. You need to report him." I heard the phone shift as she spoke to someone else. I waited patiently. "OK," she said, "so, like I said, you need to report him."

"To whom? My HR person has some crazy Fatal Attraction thing going on with him. She's already out to get me and will just use this as another reason to fire me." I rounded the corner, the coffee shop in sight. I could smell the strong brew wafting from the building.

"Bella, have you considered looking for a new job?"

I stopped and thought about it. I loved my job, but she may have a point. There was no winning solution for me here except to get the hell out. "You may have a point, Alice," I said, as I crossed the street and then stopped, with the windows of the shop in front of me, I could see through to the counter and to a familiar back. Jacob's back. He wasn't alone, that woman was with him again.

_Well, well, well._

"Hey, Al? I gotta let you go. I just saw someone I know. I'll call ya later, okay?" I kept an eye on Jacob and the dark haired woman. I could see her face this time, olive skin and dark eyes. She smiled up at him as he ran his finger over her cheek, before turning to the guy at the counter and placing an order.

"Yeah, OK, Bella. Call me later."

I didn't say goodbye before ending the call and sliding the phone into my pocket. I wasn't going to play coy with him like the last time I had seen him in public. Today, I was going to walk up to him and find out what the heck was going on. This woman _had_ to be his deep dark secret, but why?

I pulled the door open and walked to the counter, just as Jake turned around with a tray. On it were three cups and a plate with pastries. He froze when he saw me. The woman next to him had been talking and she stopped, looking at him, then to me.

"Hey, Jake. How's it going?" I used my most cheerful voice. His eyes were big and he seemed to get a little pale. He finally coughed, a forced sound, before speaking. "Um, Bella, hey. What are you doing here?"

"Lunch break, I work a couple of blocks away, remember?" I turned to the woman, who was looking at each of us. She was just barely my height and petite, and I realized she was of Asian descent. I put out my hand., "Hi, I'm Bella, Bella Swan. Jake's friend."

She reached out and grabbed my hand in a firm shake. "I'm Angela Weber. Nice to meet you."

She had no sooner let go of my hand when there was another voice. "Hey, Mom, come on, I got us a table." There was a dark haired boy suddenly standing next to Angela. He had tan skin, but not like Angela's. His hair was dark, his eyes nearly black and he was tall. Already as tall as his mom, but by the sound of his voice, he was nowhere near puberty.

The pieces began to fall together, slowly. I looked at Jake who looked down at the boy.

"Chase, I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Her name is Bella."

He looked back at me and said, "Bella, this is my son, Chase."

XOXOXOXOX

"Son, Jake? Really? You didn't see a need to tell me that?" I was pacing on the sidewalk, swinging my hands around. My lunch break was nearly up and I hadn't eaten anything. But I wasn't hungry anyway, I was still trying to process what had just happened.

After the awkward introductions, Jacob got Angela and Chase settled into a booth and told them he would be back. He and I went outside and down the sidewalk where they wouldn't be able to see us through the large windows.

"Bella, I wanted to tell you. It just never seemed that it was the right time. I was trying to get to know Angela and Chase. I mean, I've never even seen him before a month ago." He ran his hand across the back of his neck.

"Yeah, about that, I think you have some explaining to do there, Mister Mysterious," I said, trying to keep my tone light. I wasn't angry with him, just disappointed that he hadn't shared this with me. This was… well, it was a big deal.

"OK, well, remember when I said I left town?" Jake turned and leaned against the wall, shuffling his foot against the sidewalk.

"Yeah, you said you were a troubled kid, and went to live with your aunt."

"Well, I left because Angela… well… she was pregnant. Bella, I met Angela at the diner in Forks. She was working there, she was a few years older than me. But I was big for my age and looked older. She was eighteen and I was fifteen-going-on-sixteen but with all the hormones and looks of an eighteen-year-old. We hit it off and once she'd realized how old I was, it didn't matter. At least not to either of us."

"Wait." I stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Weber? Is Angela Pastor Weber's daughter?"

I had heard the rumors of the good Pastor's daughter getting knocked up and shipped off to Seattle where her belly could grow away from the prying eyes of the small town. At the time, I was still new to the town and didn't pay much attention to the stories, as I was still trying to get settled into my own life.

"Yeah, she is. So, you can see the problem. He forbade her to see me. But that didn't stop us. We still sneaked around. And, man, Bella, we were like rabbits, going at it whenever we could. She wasn't on the pill, there was no way for her to get on it without someone finding out and telling her dad, small towns and all. I used rubbers, but one time...one time it broke. That's all it took, Bella, just once and our lives were changed forever." He was shaking his head, still looking at the ground.

"Jacob, that's why you left, because Angela got pregnant?"

"She got sent to live with her grandmother in Seattle, and I got sent to live with my aunt in Colorado. Her grandmother was very strict. Angela didn't have a phone; at least, I didn't know her number. I begged her mom, her little sister, anyone to give me her contact information. I'd finally heard she'd had the baby, a boy. But, by then, I was just angry. I figured she was a legal adult, if she'd wanted to see me, wanted me to see my son, it would have been easier for her to come to me. But she never did. By the time I graduated high school, I just didn't care anymore. Or so I'd thought. A few months ago, my dad reached out to me, said it was time for me to come home, to make things right. Angela had gone to him asking where I was and letting him meet his grandson. Her dad had passed away earlier this year and I guess she'd felt like Chase needed his dad and his other grandfather. Plus, now there was no one standing in our way."

I glanced down at my watch. I was cutting it close.

_Damn it…_

"Jake, I wish you had told me," I said, rubbing his arm, "you didn't have to hide this from me."

"I just wasn't sure what you would have thought of me." He looked up at me, searching my eyes.

I wrapped my arms around him and hugged him, "I would have thought same thing I always have, that you're a wonderful man with a heart of gold." I pulled back. "But right now, I have to go or I'm going to be late and Tanya will fire my ass for sure."

He laughed, "OK, Bella. Well, we can talk later tonight, OK?"

"Tonight would be great, I want to hear all about that boy of yours, he's a cutie."

'Hey, no eyeballing my son there, Cougar Bella!"

"Har-har. Why don't you come over, I'll order pizza."

"Cool, I'll be there about seven." He was standing straight again, shoulders back and a large smile in place.

I turned to leave and then stopped.

"Hey, Jake? Remember when you said that the reason you hadn't made love to me was because my heart belonged to someone else?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Yeah?"

"Well," I sighed and then smiled, "maybe it was also because your heart belongs to someone else too."

He looked at me for a heartbeat and then that shit-eating grin of his spread across his face. "You know what, Bella? I think you might be right."

I made it back to work with two minutes to spare, but I was in the building, that was all that mattered. I stopped to talk to Lauren, who told me Tanya hadn't returned from her own lunch yet. I sighed with relief, knowing that I was stalker-free for a little while longer.

Lauren hung up the phone, having transferred the call to whomever it was for, and looked up at me, "All I'm saying Bella, is that you need to be careful. I hear things down here. Remember Susie Pope?"

I vaguely did, she wasn't here long after I started.

"Well, she actually did go out on a date with Mike. Of course she knew she shouldn't have, but she was a single mom and was hoping he would be her knight in shining armor. More like an idiot in aluminum foil," she said, rolling her eyes, "but, anyway, Tanya caught wind of it and made Susie's life here hell. Finally, Susie quit, she had to. I remember hearing that Tanya had purposely made her worklife bad so she would quit, and not be eligible for unemployment. Can you believe that? Susie had a kid and Tanya wouldn't at least fire her so she could get some sort of financial help until she'd found a job."

The phone started buzzing again and she turned to answer it. I waved goodbye and went to the elevator, taking it up to my floor. Tanya was psycho, that was a given. She thought I was a threat, standing between her and her dream man. But she was the head of Human Resources, the person you would report unethical work practices to, so I really had no one to go to with any claims of harassment or unequal treatment. Mike wouldn't be of any help and the Newtons themselves were traveling somewhere in Europe.

I began thinking that Alice was right, perhaps it was time for me to move on.

* * *

**A/N... As always, thanks to mauigirl60 for saving my rear again and again!  
One more chapter and we get EPOV - just a brief look into what he's been thinkin, a side journey of sorts.**

**Stick with me and leave me some sweet words.**

**Thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Moving along... Thanks for reading!  
Don't own them, but my beta, mauigirl60 sure owns me...  
LOL**

* * *

Chapter 11

"So, there's no rum in this at all?" Rose asked with a twinge of disappointment, as she added the ingredients for the virgin strawberry daiquiri to the blender.

"None," I said, finishing the white chicken enchiladas. I laid them side-by-side in the baking pan and poured the white cheese sauce over the top of the rolled tortillas. Since Halloween, I'd decided to go alcohol free for a while. In doing so, I forced my two best girlfriends into my self-imposed dry spell.

"Well, I, for one, think it's a great idea," Alice chimed in from the kitchen table where she was flipping through the latest edition of Cosmo. "I was a little worried about you two being pickled by the time the wedding got here, with all that wine drinking you were doing."

"Hey, I like my wine drinking," Rose said, as she hit the button for the blender.

"And I like to whine while I'm drinking!" I shouted over the grinding of ice, making both my friends laugh.

It was girl's night, and we were having Mexican for dinner. After the bizarre week I'd had, I needed this time with them.

Rose poured us each a glass of the red, frozen drink as I slid my pan into the oven. The Mexican rice was cooking on the stove. So with everything under control, we sat with Alice at the table.

"So, Bella," Alice said, sipping her drink as she appraised me. "You mean to tell me that you and my brother have talked nearly every day since the Halloween party and you've yet to bring up your confession of love for him that he may or may not have overheard?"

"Yeah? What's up with that?" Rose chimed in.

"Look, we're talking, okay? But I don't want to push him. I get the feeling that there's something going on." Edward had been working late nearly every night. Most evenings he would call me to check in, say hello, and each time he was usually still at the office.

"Well, I think you're right there, Bella. He calls Emmett at the strangest times and Em won't tell me a thing regarding what they're talking about. Says it'll all work itself out soon enough. But I caught him looking at cars on Craigslist the other day," Rose said, as she pointed a finger and shook it like she was scolding us.

"Really? I didn't know you guys were looking for a car." I sipped my daiquiri, finding it to be pretty good. But I was a little disappointed, waiting for a buzz I knew would never come.

"We aren't," she said, lowering her voice so we had to lean in to hear her, "but when I asked him, he mumbled something about just looking into an old beater and shut the computer down."

I thought about it for a moment. "You don't suppose that he's looking for something for Edward, do you?"

"I don't know, but it seems like the only logical explanation." She sat back and nodded once before sipping her drink.

"That would be like my brother, to drive a beater. Don't get me wrong, Edward looks great in those suits, but he really isn't a designer brand kind of guy," Alice commented.

Thoughts of the old Edward crept into my brain and made me smile. "Remember how he'd spent most of high school and then college in those worn-out jeans and flannels?" I asked. "And his shoes…"

"_Black Converse!"_ All three of us exclaimed at the same time. That was the Edward we'd known and loved, before Jessica had taken over his life with her name brands and expensive cars. We laughed as the kitchen timer sounded and I rose from the table to get our dinner from the oven. The sauce was perfect, bubbly with a bit of brown to it from baking. The rice was also done, so I fluffed it and then turned to the girls. "All right ladies, dinner is served."

Once we settled in with our dinners, it was Alice's turn to add conjecture to the Edward and Emmett mystery. "You, know, Jazzy's been talking to Edward a lot lately, too. I asked him about it, you know the boy can't lie to me; he said that he's helping my brother with some personal stuff…. and walked away! Can you believe it? He's never _not_ told me something!" Alice pouted as she took a bite of her enchilada. "Ooohh-mgawd, Bewwa… dis is gooo!"

"Thanks, I think?" I laughed. Eating in silence for a few minutes, I took some time to think about what Rose and Alice were saying. "Do you think he's really trying to leave her? I mean, he said that he knew their relationship wasn't going to last. But then he said he wants to be friends." Confusion, I had moved from the Land of Denial to the Land of Confusion. Things just didn't seem to be getting better.

"You know what I think?" Rose asked, and I could tell she really didn't care if we did or didn't, she was going to tell us anyway. "I think Edward is being a guy. He's doing his best to fix a problem, 'cause we all know guys like to fix shit, but he's leaving the most important person out of the plan. You, Bella. Look, Alice and I have talked about this…"

"Good to know I'm a topic of conversation for you both," I responded with a snarky tone.

"Hey! Don't blame us that your life has become so interesting in the last month," Alice said while bobbing her head from side to side. "Girl, you were working it with two guys and all that drama at work! And then Jessica at Halloween! You were better than Maury and Springer put together!"

"Ha-ha. I'm not that bad and I wasn't working it with two guys… at least not at the same time." I shook my head, hanging it low, my life really had turned into a drama fest.

"Well, anyway," Rose chimed in, "as I was saying, we've discussed this and we think it's very clear. Edward loves you and he's doing what he can to end things with Jessica and make a new life, one you need to decide if you want to be a part of. Now, of course, he's taking his slow-ass time with it, that's for sure."

"No doubt!" Alice smacked the table. "He should've dumped her a long time ago. I'm ready for my best friend and my brother to get together. This pining away for each other in silent suffering has gotten old as shit!"

"Amen, sister friend!" Rose said and held up her glass. She and Alice toasted as they laughed and then took a drink of their half-melted daiquiris.

"Damn," Alice said, peering into her glass, "I really wish this had rum in it."

XOXOXOXOX

It was Thanksgiving week, I had to work two and a half days and then I was off for four. I couldn't wait either. Monday at work had been another of those Twilight Zone days; Mike had been flirting with me, while Tanya crept around my floor. I'd made the decision to update my resumé while I was off. It was clear things weren't going to get any better there. Tanya was crazy and I didn't want to deal with it any longer. Besides, there were plenty of other publishing houses in Seattle.

I logged off my computer, locked my desk and headed down for lunch. Jacob had called the night before asking if we could have lunch together. We'd talked a couple of times since I'd officially met Angela and Chase, but I had missed my friend. So, I happily accepted his offer, even though it was cold as shit out, and I didn't really want to walk the couple of blocks to eat. He'd also said he was bringing Embry along, that he owed him a meal. I was cool with that, Embry seemed like a great guy.

I stepped off the elevator and saw the guys sitting in the waiting area to the side of the reception desk. Lauren caught my eye and called me to her. "Bella," she whispered, "give a girl a chance, stop taking all the hot ones." I looked over to where the guys were now standing. I knew Jake was hot, but I looked Embry over, appraising him as Lauren had. He was no Jacob, lankier with longer hair, but he was good looking. I wondered if Lauren liked tattoos.

"The buff one is taken," I whispered back about Jacob, "but the other one is single. Do you like tattoos?" I got my answer by the look on her face. Her eyes grew in size and a grin spread from ear to ear. If she could have "Woo-Hooed" right there, I think she would have, but she remained somewhat professional, despite the bit of drool that escaped the side of her mouth.

"Embry, Jacob," I said to the guys as they approached us, "this is Lauren. Lauren, this is Jacob and this is Embry." Lauren held her hand out to Embry, he was in jeans and a leather jacket not too different from Jake's. "Nice to meet you," she said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Smiling, Embry took her hand. "You, too."

Jake and I looked at each other, this was too easy. "Lauren, have you taken lunch yet?" I asked, knowing she hadn't because she usually left after I returned.

"No, I don't usually go for another hour, but maybe I can go now. Hold on," she said and punched a number into her phone. I looked at Jake and mouthed _"Bingo"_.

Five minutes later, the four of us were walking quickly through the cold to the café. Embry and Lauren effectively got caught in their own conversation bubble, showing each other their tattoos - the ones that could be shown in public - and discussing music and other interests. I was happy for the both of them. Plus, it allowed me to really catch up with Jacob.

"What are your plans for the holiday? Do you even celebrate Thanksgiving? Oh, God! Is it rude of me to ask that?" I was chewing on a fry while trying to remove the foot I had placed firmly in my mouth.

Jake laughed. "I'm going to Forks with Angela to have an early dinner at her mom's with her and Chase. Afterwards, I promised dad I would pick him up and take him to Charlie's so we can watch some football."

"OK, cool. Then I'll see you there. I'll be leaving about five to head to the Cullens. I always bake a pie and take it over." This year I had decided on apple.

We ate for a few minutes, with me keeping one eye on the time, before Jake asked the question I knew was most likely on his mind. "You and Cullen talking? Have you worked everything out?"

I sighed, even though I knew the question was coming, it didn't make answering it any easier. "Well, we're talking, but we haven't _talked_, if you know what I mean. I think he's trying to get his stuff together. It's complicated."

"Bella, do me a favor?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't waste too much time on him. If he hasn't figured out how lucky he would be to have you, then it's his loss. But don't give him much longer. OK?"

I didn't have the heart to tell Jake that I would wait forever for Edward. So, instead, I smiled and nodded.

We made it back to the building with two minutes to spare. Lauren and Embry exchanged numbers and made plans to get together over the holiday. They seemed really into each other and I patted myself on the back for thinking to invite Lauren along.

Tuesday went by quickly but Wednesday found me under a shit-ton of work. Mike had decided that I needed to begin editing the manuscript of a new author he'd brought on after his trip to Los Angeles. He'd also decided it needed to be started today. I had to get through four chapters and make notes of changes or inconsistencies and I had to do it today. He assured me I would be paid overtime for staying late.

Oh, and he offered to stay with me.

He was really amping up the creep factor. To be safe, I shot off a text to Alice, Rose and Jacob, letting them know I would be working late and why. You know, just in case I didn't show up somewhere that I was expected to be, they'd know who to question first.

At noon, as everyone else was leaving and bidding a "Happy Thanksgiving" to each other, I was still nose-deep into my work. I had managed to get quite a bit accomplished, but it wasn't my finest editing job.

As the floor grew quiet, I grew tense, knowing that Newton would be around at some point. He was currently in his office, door closed, and I shivered at the thought of what he did in there, behind that closed door. Thoughts of porn websites and used tissues floated into my head and I was suddenly thankful I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast six hours earlier.

It was three and I had sent him an email with my notes. He still hadn't come out from his office, I figured maybe he had fallen asleep and I was going to make it out of here without having to see him. But as I gathered my things, I heard his door open.

"Bella, come on over, I'd like to talk to you about your notes," he called from his doorway and then turned back to his desk. I knew this had nothing to do with my notes, I had only just sent them, but I went anyway. I carried my things in my hands, hoping he'd get the hint that I wanted to leave. Plus, my purse was heavy, with my phone and eReader in it, I could do some damage if I hit him in the head.

I made it to the doorway and stopped, he was standing by his desk with two champagne flutes in his hands. There was a bottle on the wet bar in the corner. "I thought we should celebrate. This author is going to make us a lot of money and I want to make you the primary editor on these books," he said, stepping over to me and handing me a glass. I had to shift the things in my arms so I could accept it from him. He held his glass out for a toast, and I touched mine to his before taking a hesitant sip.

I walked to the wet bar and put the glass down. I didn't want to drink with Mike Creep Show Newton. Besides, I didn't see him open the bottle and pour the glass, call me paranoid, but I didn't trust him not to try and slip me something.

"Don't you like it?" he asked, suddenly standing so close to me I could smell his cheap cologne.

"It's not that, I just have to drive home. I don't want to… you know... drink and drive." I edged my way toward the door.

"That's understandable, but we'll probably be here a little longer, going over your notes, so a little more won't hurt, right?" He picked up my discarded glass and tried handing it bacl to me. This time he was met with a raised hand, palm out. "No, thanks, really. If we could just go over the notes, I have friends expecting me."

Mike looked at me, his lips pressed into a hard line. "Fine, have a seat over here, on the couch. And put your stuff down, you look like a pack mule."

_What the fuck?  
_

I took a seat on the far end of the sofa as he went to his printer to retrieve some papers. Sitting on the opposite end of the couch, he began to critique my editing.

"Bella, I'm really trying to make sure that you and this author are a good fit together. It's a young woman and I know you prefer working with men."

"Excuse me? Whatever gave you that idea?" His comment caught me off guard and set off an alarm bell in my head. _Warning! Warning!_

"Well, I just see how you interact, here, with the other ladies. Plus, I only ever see you talking to men, like on your lunch dates." He kept looking at the papers in his hand, writing on them with a red pen.

"Okay, exactly how do you know who I have lunch with and who I talk to in this building?" I was seeing red, my hands shaking in my lap.

"Oh, calm down, Isabella. It's a known fact; Tanya even agrees. We should probably look into some seminars you can take on workplace relationships and making the people around you comfortable. But in the meantime…"

"Wait a second! I get along just fine with everyone in this building. You can't seriously trust anything that Tanya says."

He laid the papers down and slid closer to me. His arm stretched across the back of the sofa as he turned his body toward me, a knee pulled up onto the cushions.

"Isabella - I love that name by the way - you're taking this entirely too personally. I'm here to help you. I want to see you succeed. I can _help_ you succeed. You can be promoted by the end of the year if you'd just take some of my advice."

I knew all too well what his advice would be. I needed to find a way to extricate myself from this situation, and I needed to do it _now_.

"Look, Mike, I appreciate your wanting to help me and all. But, can we discuss this next week? I really have somewhere to be. They're expecting me." I hoped my emphasizing this would mean I wouldn't be kidnapped any time soon.

"Isabella…"

"Please, stop calling me that. It's Bella, just Bella."

"Sure, sure," he said, beginning to run a finger along my neck.

I'd officially had enough. I moved to stand but caught my foot on the leg of the coffee table. It tripped me and I was unable to get my balance, falling forward into the chest of Mike Newton. His arms were immediately around me as I pushed against his chest to get up. And, if that wasn't bad enough…

"A-hem. I certainly hope I'm not interrupting something private," Tanya spoke from the doorway.

Mike's arms dropped and I was able to push myself up. However, I knew how it looked, and it didn't look good. I was _so_ screwed.

"Not at all, Tanya," Mike said, as I moved from the sofa to grab my things. "Bella here just fell and I caught her."

"Okay, sure, Mike," she said in an overly-sweet tone that dripped with sarcasm.

"So, I'm just gonna go," I said, side-stepping to the door that Tanya was blocking.

"Miss Swan, I believe we have discussed this already," Tanya said. Her hands were on her hips and a look of hate in her eyes. This woman was insane.

"Tanya, whatever you think you saw, it wasn't that. Now, please move, I need to go." I stepped forward and when she didn't move, I pushed past her.

"Bella, we need to talk about this," she called after me, but I was double-timing it to the elevator. I was pushing the button in fast repetition willing the machinery to move faster. "Monday, Tanya, bright and early," I called over my shoulder as I boarded the elevator.

"Eight A.M. Miss Swan, and do _not_ be late. Remember, final warning?" She had apparently followed me to the elevator. As the doors slid closed I responded, "Sure thing…" and as they blocked her from my view, I finished my thought, "… Bitch!"

XOXOXOXOX

"Bella, all I'm saying is that you need to talk to someone. Maybe Jasper can help you, give you some advice. He's an attorney, after all." Dad and I were cleaning the dinner table as he lectured me on seeking some advice about my work situation.

I had told him and Sue everything that'd been going on and I watch Dad get more and more angry as the story unfolded. He offered to get a private investigator on Tanya and Mike. Then he offered to call a friend in the Seattle PD to start tailing each of them, waiting for either of them to screw up. I told him there was no way they would use their valuable man-hours assigning cops on those two idiots. His response? "For _my daughter_, they sure as fuck will!"

That earned him a smack on the arm and a "Not at the table, Charlie," from Sue.

"Tell you what, Dad, I'll see Jasper later at the Cullens. I'll talk to him then. I really think I should just continue looking for a new job and leave." I walked into the kitchen and helped Sue pack up the food from our Thanksgiving dinner. We had eaten early so Charlie could get a quick nap in before Jake and Billy showed up.

As Dad went upstairs for his nap, Sue and I cleaned the kitchen and chatted.

A couple of hours later, the doorbell rang and Dad bounded down the stairs. "I got it!" Sue and I laughed from our spots on the couch. He and Billy were like a couple of kids on Christmas when it came to watching a game on the TV.

Billy and Jake came in, and Dad and Billy headed for the den, where the big screen television was located. Sue snickered at the two men as she headed for the kitchen. Jake came in and hugged me. "Those two are ridiculous, aren't they?" he asked as we walked, arm-in-arm, back to the den.

"Yes, they are. But it's nice to see them act this way. It's good for them both to have such a good friend." We stood in the doorway as Charlie grabbed a couple of beers from the cooler he had stocked that sat in the corner, handing one to Billy. The plan was not to have to leave the room for anything, and Sue had already said she wouldn't be their servant. So, a cooler filled with beverages it was. There were a half-dozen bags of chips sitting on the table as well.

"Friends are good," Jake said, squeezing my arm, "and I'm glad you're mine." I smiled up at him. "Me too. I guess it just wasn't meant to be more, huh?"

Jacob shook his head. "Nope, guess not. But that's cool. I mean, I've realized over the last couple of weeks that I need to focus solely on Chase right now. And maybe Angela and I can make a go of it, as a couple. Chase deserves to have both of his parents in his life; now that I've spent more time with both of them, I realized I never really stopped loving her. You get that, right?"

He knew I did so I just smiled at him.

An hour later, I was on the front porch of the Cullen home with an apple pie in hand. Edward's car was there and I had been warned by Alice that Jessica was with him. I only hoped that she would be on her best behavior in the Cullen home, I knew I would be.

I grabbed the door handle and opened the door, having given up ringing the bell for admittance into their home. Esme'd always said I was family and, like family, I was allowed to just walk in.

I pushed the door open and heard Em yelling from the living room, "What?! That was a first down! That ref is a fucking idiot!"

"Emmett!"

"Sorry, Mom!"

I shook my head and laughed as I made my way down the hall to the kitchen. I saw Esme first and she pulled me into a hug, "Oh, Bella, I'm so glad that you're here. How are you?"

I managed to get out "Good" just before Alice bounced into the room. "BELLLAAA! Hey, guys, look! Bella's here!" She wrapped me in her arms and whispered, "He's miserable and she is in super bitch mode, watch yourself."

She pulled back and gave me a smile and a wink.

The next person to enter the kitchen was Edward. His hair was messier than normal and he still needed it cut. He was in a burgundy v-neck sweater with a white t-shirt underneath, and jeans that were snug in all the right places. He looked at me with sad eyes and gave me a smile. I could sense that it took everything in him not to come to me, I knew because it was exactly how I was feeling.

"Bella, didn't expect to see _you_ here." Jessica stepped from around Edward and his shoulders fell, just a little. He seemed deflated and the look in his eyes seemed to be apologetic.

"Jessica, Happy Thanksgiving," I responded with as much cheerfulness in my voice as I could force into it.

"Bella is here for every Thanksgiving, Jessica. _She's_ part of the family," Esme said, as she walked by me with pie in hand, winking at me. It hadn't gotten past me that she had put a strong emphasis on the word _"she"_. Apparently, Jessica hadn't missed it either since she looked at me as if she could kill me with her stare.

"Yep, every Thanksgiving Bella bakes us a pie and Emmett tries to eat it all," Alice chimed in.

"That's because they're so fucking good!" Emmett boomed as he walked into the kitchen.

"Emmett!" Esme yelled from the dining room.

"Sorry, Mom! Hey, Baby B! Happy Thanksgiving!" He swept me up into his arms and spun me around. "Don't crush her!" Rose said from behind him. She was wearing a football jersey that matched Emmett's - another reason why these two were perfect for each other, their shared love of the game of football.

Rose stepped over and hugged me as well. We were quickly filling the kitchen as Jasper and Carlisle made it in to greet me. Apparently, it was half-time.

"Well, Bella, it does seem like you are the prodigal daughter returned. Guess we need to kill the fatted calf on T\thanksgiving for your return," Jessica said with a snort.

"Jessica…" Edward looked at her and his tone was stern, a warning.

"What?!" She exclaimed, but he kept his gaze locked on hers and she backed down, crossing her arms and huffing as she stomped from the kitchen.

"Well," Jasper said, "that wasn't awkward at all."

Everyone laughed before Emmett shouted, "Let's eat pie! I get Bella's!"

"No, you don't," Carlisle shouted behind him as everyone but Edward turned for the dining room.

"You know, if you make more than one, they wouldn't fight over them like that," Edward said as he finally seemed to relax.

"Yeah, but it's fun to watch them fight. Plus, I know your mother, there are four other pies on that table as we speak. Probably a cake and cookies, too." I smiled and stepped toward him, as if in gravitational pull, I couldn't stop my feet from shuffling in his direction.

"Bella, look, I'm sorry for her. I didn't even want her to come," he whispered to me.

"Edward, it's okay. I'm okay. I know you have something going on. Just remember, I'm here if you need me.," He smiled at me and nodded. We turned and joined the others in the dining room and then headed to the living room with plates full of desserts.

A couple of hours later, I was beginning my round of goodbyes. I was following Rose and Emmett back into the city tonight. Emmett had to work the next day and I just wanted to be home. We wouldn't be pulling in until after midnight, but I felt safe on the road with my two friends just ahead of me.

Esme hugged and kissed me, telling me to not be such a stranger. Carlisle thanked me for the pie, but asked for two next year. "If you could, just make me my own," he said with a wink.

Jasper and Alice were in the upstairs guest room, opting to stay the night with her parents. She and Esme had plans to head into Seattle the next day, though, Christmas shopping wasn't going to happen on its own.

I went up to say good bye to them and made plans to meet Alice and Esme for dinner the next night. I turned for the bathroom down the hall; it was, after all, a long drive home.

As I opened the door to step out, Jessica was standing there, arms crossed and fire in her eyes.

"You know he's going to leave me, don't you?!" she said in an accusatory tone.

"Jessica, I have no idea what you're talking about," I responded and tried to get by her. But she took a step toward me, putting herself in the doorway and forcing me to take a step back.

"Bullshit, you vile bitch! Because of you, I won't have my perfect wedding, my perfect life!" She was screaming, I was sure everyone in the house heard her.

"Nice, Jessica, YOUR perfect wedding and YOUR perfect life! What about Edward and what HE wants?!" I spat back at her.

"He was happy! He was going along with it all, just fine, until you interfered. Spreading your whore legs for him!"

"Hey! Whatever is wrong with the two of you was wrong way before Edward and I ever hooked up! You need to get that through your head. Yeah, it was wrong, but clearly he _**wasn't**_ as happy with you as you thought he was!" I pointed a finger at her, poking her in the chest.

Her right hand lifted, palm out, rearing back and ready to slap me when suddenly there was a hand grabbing it. Over her shoulder, I saw Edward.

"Jessica, that's enough!" he said, as he pulled her out of the bathroom. She trailed behind him shrieking and shouting about how I was a whore and ruined her life. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I was met with the whole clan. They had all heard what happened. The cat was out of the bag now and there was nothing I could do about it. I just hoped that Esme and Carlisle wouldn't be angry with me over what Edward and I had done.

I looked to Rose and Em. "Can we please go now?"

"Bella." Alice stepped toward me with her arms out. I put my hand up to stop her. I didn't want comforting right now, I just wanted to leave. "Please," I said to Rose again, and she nodded. We went down the stairs and gathered our things to the sounds of Edward and Jessica yelling at one another.

As I walked out the door, I could hear him telling her that she had no right to talk to me that way and that he was unhappy with their relationship. I think I may have even heard him say it was over, but I couldn't be sure. I just wanted to go.

XOXOXOXO

Three hours later, I was falling into my bed. We'd made record time getting home. I pulled on my flannel pajamas and washed my face before giving myself over to the emotional exhaustion of the night. Rose had driven my car, allowing me ample time to cry. Edward had called, my phone and hers, but I refused to talk to him. I would talk to him tomorrow. For now, I just needed to be left alone.

A couple of hours later, my phone started ringing. Assuming it was just Edward again, I let it go to voicemail. The ringing stopped and then I heard the tone that notified me I had a new voicemail. Then the phone rang again, and I ignored it, as the caller left another message. By the third ring, I was just getting angry.

I reached over to my nightstand and grabbed the phone, cracking my eyes open enough to see it was five in the morning and that it was Phil's number calling me.

I slid the bar to answer the call. "Phil?"

There was a sob on the other end and then a shaking female voice, "Bella? Oh Bella, this is Lillian, Lillian Ayers, Phil's friend from work. Honey, there's been an accident. You need to come."

* * *

**A/N...  
So, here lately I have been a bit on the sidetracked side as I have been saving my revisions from my beta... and I fear I may have been posting some mucked up stuff. So I have reposted chapters 8 thru 10... just to be sure.  
*sighs*  
Give me a spreadsheet and I can rock it.  
Give me a word doc and I fail.  
:) Next up... dum dum dum... the EPOV... yes, yes we finally hear from the man himself. Then it will be back to Bella.  
**

**thanks for joining me... over 300 followers is great, please let me know what you think and leave a comment.  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**Here we go...**

* * *

Chapter 12 ... EPOV

I'm a shit.

I know I am.

But when I saw Bella and Jacob Black at the top of the stairwell on Halloween, everything went red. It hadn't even registered in my drunken head that she was crying…sobbing. I just saw him holding her, comforting her, and it was all I could do to not rush up those damned stairs two at a time and pull him away from her. I wanted to put myself in between them and tell him to keep his hands off of what was mine.

_Mine._

That was when it hit me finally. I knew…I knew that Bella was supposed to be with me, and me with her.

I never should have let things end in high school. She seemed so convinced it was the right thing to do for both of us. I should have known that it was Bella's way of putting my needs ahead of hers, assuming that I wanted to be single to enjoy college life. She was always doing it, putting everyone else first. Did she really want us to break up? Did I? Looking back on it now, I know my answer would have been a firm _no_. But, you can't change the past.

Once we were at college together, I thought we might have a chance. That first night we hooked up, Christ, it had been just as good as I'd remembered. But something kept Bella distanced from me. In fact, she would regularly say that she liked what we had, that I was her best friend and that we had our own lives to live and, for her, that didn't include a major commitment.

So, again, I'd let it go, never really telling her how I'd felt, afraid that if she really didn't feel the same way, I would lose my friend forever. God, I sounded like such a fucking girl.

When Jessica came along, I took a chance and asked her out. A part of me hoped that Bella would finally lay her claim; but instead, she encouraged me to date Jessica. And the more she encouraged, the more I'd become convinced that my feelings for her were one-sided, that Bella would never feel the same for me. I'd made the commitment to stick it out with Jessica and shortly after, Bella had started dating that loser, Riley.

Jess was great…at first. I'd really liked her and grew to love her.

When I'd first met Jessica, she was fun and spirited. She'd hang onto my every word, batting her eyes at me and looking at me as if I were the only man in the world. We had a great time together. She could act spoiled at times but, for the most part, she had been sweet and even somewhat innocent. Well, she'd appeared to be innocent to the outside world. It took exactly two weeks for me to realize how opposite of innocent she was. Behind the bedroom door, she'd cursed like a sailor and fucked like a hellcat. She lived by that old adage "A Wife in the Kitchen, a Whore in the Bedroom"; except that she would rather part with her collection of Gucci bags before she ever set foot in a kitchen to cook a meal.

She was so unlike Bella. Jessica would spend an hour or more primping in the mirror just to go out to dinner. Bella was the casual, natural beauty, who had always been comfortable in her own skin, while Jessica was the Neiman Marcus poster girl. Parties and clubs were her playing field and school just gave her something to do to keep her father off her back.

She showed me off to her friends and family and I found that I loved it. I wasn't going to make excuses by saying that I'd had a horrible childhood with parents that ignored me, making me greedy for any attention I could get. No. That wasn't the case, but I'd suffered from just a bit of the middle child syndrome. We were all talented in our own ways. Emmett, the fun loving, outgoing King of the Jocks, who had never met a stranger; Alice, the vivacious extrovert that was willing to dish out fashion advice to anyone she met and was a friend to all. I was bookended between two people with large personalities and I was happy to be there. Or at least I was, until I became the focus of the attention.

It was addictive, the attention from Jess and her friends. The lavish parties, that only the most elite were invited to, became a regular event for us. One month of our relationship quickly became two, then six, and then we were officially celebrating our one-year anniversary. I was suddenly wearing suits that cost no less than a grand. I drove a sports car that cost a year's salary. Before I knew it, we were buying a house. Check that. _**I **_was buying a house. Jessica just told me what we were buying and where and that she was in charge of furnishing it. I offered my mom's assistance - she had great taste, everyone said so - but Jessica had turned her nose up at the idea. I should have known then that she wasn't the woman for me. But I was an idiot, I chose to overlook it and stayed with her.

The longer I'd stayed, the deeper in debt I became just to keep up with Jessica's growing wants. From new furniture to fill the house to new clothes for more parties, I maxed out nearly every credit card I had just to give the woman I loved what she wanted. The house we lived in was financially out of our reach, but her father had loaned us the down payment. So, now I had to add Papa Bear Stanley to my list of creditors, although, she'd assured me he would forgive the debt the day we got married.

_Married._

_Shit._

She'd been hinting at marriage the last few months. Well not so much hinting, as dragging me to jewelry stores to show me her favorite diamond cuts and settings; all of which were well into the five digit range and would send me careening into more debt. In fact, that's what we had been fighting about that night I'd gone out with Jasper - the last time I'd hooked up with Bella.

During our argument, Jessica had tried backing me into a corner, telling me about the large Christmas gathering her parents would be having and how it would be the perfect time for me to "pop the question". Just the thought of it freaked me out; I had known it wasn't what I'd wanted. I wasn't in love with Jessica. I had loved her once, but lately, I'd grown tired of the spoiled brat that I shared a home with. The longer we lived together, the more I saw a side of Jessica I didn't like, the side of Jessica my friends and family had been trying to get me to see for over a year.

I'd picked a fight with Jess that night, willing her to leave me, hoping that if I'd pissed her off enough, she would walk out on me. It was cowardly, hoping she would make it easy and leave me first.

When I went out, the intention was just to get drunk and go home. But I didn't want to go back to Jessica. When I'd asked Jasper to drop me at Bella's, he'd cast me that knowing look. But I'd given him my best cover story; Alice wouldn't want my drunk ass on her couch, so Bella's was the next logical place. My best friend wouldn't let me down…and she didn't.

Making love to Bella had always been earth shattering. It was true, I could get lost, buried in her for days. But that particular night in October, I'd felt something shift. I hadn't been that lit that I didn't notice it, notice the way she looked at me, the desire in her eyes telling me that what we were doing was more than sex to her, too. We'd done this a handful of times and I always wanted to ask her why she allowed me back. Why did she allow me to come to her and fuck my frustrations out on her? We would see each other outside of her place and we were just platonic Bella and Edward. But, in the small space of her apartment, it was Bells and Eddie, two people finding passion together. I'd been ashamed of it at first, knowing it was wrong to do to Jessica, even if she was slowly becoming someone I could no longer love. But, then I couldn't stop, I craved Bella with every ounce of my being. That night, with her in my arms, I'd known she was the one for me. The reason I could never ask Jessica to marry me.

But how did I go about telling her that when I was ass-deep in the Stanley Grip? I'd realized that I needed to do something to get away from the mess I'd created for myself. I couldn't stay with a woman I no longer loved. I just needed time to figure it all out.

The next morning, I felt like such an ass. Bella was safe and with her was where I'd wanted to be, but I couldn't tell her that, not then. Especially later, after she'd told me that what we were doing, just screwing around, worked for her too.

I suddenly felt like I did in college, except this time, I wasn't questioning how I'd felt, but if I'd misunderstood what I thought I'd seen in Bella. As I showered that morning, I convinced myself that it was time to tell her how I really did feel. But then she was just sitting on the couch, like nothing had happened and suddenly Alice was there and I wimped out, going back to Jessica to clean my mess, as my sister said.

I held my breath as I'd left that day, for the first time since we had started this messed-up arrangement, I'd realized that I'd wanted Bella to ask me to stay. I'd wanted her to give me an ultimatum, her or Jessica. I knew who I would've picked. But she hadn't asked me to stay; instead, she watched me walk out.

Of course, the next day at lunch, she'd told me I wouldn't be allowed back over, that we couldn't be friends until I'd gotten my shit straight, and then walked out on me.

And straight into the chest of Jacob Fucking Black.

I'd been so confused and upset that I'd found myself at my brother's house, asking for advice. Advice from Emmett may not seem like a terrific idea, but sometimes he knows what he's talking about. I couldn't tell him much without telling him everything. However, with the little information I had given him, sans anything about Bella, Emmett had said that it was time to cut my losses. I believe his exact words were, "Ed, my man, you have wasted too much time in a dead-end relationship with a dead-head bimbo. It's time to grow a pair and bail."

Then he asked me an interesting question - he asked why I'd ever let Bella go, stating that we were great together. I'd had no answer for him, even though I'd spent quite a bit of time lately wondering the exact same thing.

I didn't tell Emmett about Bella and myself that day, but I did tell him eventually.

The night of the Halloween party, I was on the back porch with Jazz and Em when Jessica had unleashed her verbal assault on Bella. In my inebriated state, I had decided it was a great time to come clean to my brother and my best friend about my feelings for Bella. I'd told them everything, within reason, and then had pled for their help. I'd known I would need the both of them to put a plan in motion, to get away from Jessica and her father and start my own life, a life I hoped would include Bella. But, if for some reason it didn't, a future alone was better than a future with someone I didn't love.

I knew once I saw Bella crying, saw her in his arms and heard… well, I knew I needed to say that it was over with Jessica. My mind was made up.

Emmett took on car duty. Looking for a buyer for my sports car and then searching Craigslist for an older Jeep for me. I figured if I was going to be packing up my life and moving on, I would need more than a two-seater.

Jasper was helping me with my finances and finding leads for jobs. First, I started scraping every penny I could and put it into a separate account. Next was new employment. The search included jobs in and outside of Seattle and even included applying for a teaching position at my old Alma Mater, Forks High. Jasper had mentioned that they were expanding their technology department. With more and more jobs requiring extensive working knowledge of computers and programming, the school system decided to put more focus on it; Forks High needed a teacher that would be dedicated to that subject only. Because of my degree, I could participate in the accelerated teaching preparation to receive my teaching certificate. The combination of the subject being a shortage area and my years of working experience and expertise in the field meant that I could get certified faster - even in time for the following school year to start. I had never considered teaching, but the thought of it actually sounded great. Plus, it would keep me close to home and close to Bella.

Over the last few weeks, I had begun to feel like Julia Roberts in the movie _Sleeping With the Enemy_. I was setting up secret job interviews, hiding money and selling my car in a clandestine arrangement. It may have seemed ridiculous, but Jasper only had to remind me what was on the line and I sucked it up. My future, with or without Bella, hung on all of this; though I hoped it included Bella.

My biggest concern was Papa Stanley. He was loyal to two things, Jessica and money, and sometimes not in that order. He had ruined greater men for lesser deeds. I was a small man who was breaking the heart of his princess. Thank fuck we weren't married, no alimony. I would put the house on the market, but anything I made from it, I was certain would have to go to Stanley. It was because of him that I had to bide my time, get out slow and easy so as not to make too many waves.

Things were coming together nicely, until Thanksgiving. I had planned to leave Jessica by the second week of December. Not the most ideal time, but the guy who was buying my car would have the money then. Emmett managed to get me two grand over what I was asking, and truth be told, I needed the cash.

I tried convincing Jessica that we just needed to celebrate separately, but she refused. We had become more like estranged roommates then a couple over the last few weeks. It was clear things were ending, but she thought it was more important to keep up the appearance that all was well, at least until the holidays were over. I would give her Thanksgiving, I felt I owed her that, but I wasn't giving her Christmas.

Thanksgiving was a fiasco just as I had known it would be. Jessica was a total bitch the entire time, before Bella had even showed up. She was indirectly rude, making snide comments about the food and the way my mom had decorated the house for the holiday. At one point, my mom asked me to come upstairs, to her room. I'd followed Mom up, leaving Jessica to fend for herself with the rest of my family. I'd hoped Rose would just go ahead and kick her ass.

Once upstairs, my mom had closed the door, "Edward, son, sit down." I walked to the bed and took a seat. She followed and sat next to me, taking my hand. "Edward, I love you, but I hate that woman downstairs. I don't want to hurt you but I just can't hold it in any longer. If you don't kick her scrawny pretentious ass to the curb soon, well, I might just have to kill her myself."

My mom looked deadly serious as she'd said it, holding my hand, that all I could do was laugh. I laughed so hard I had tears rolling down my face and my mom was looking at me as if I had lost my ever-loving mind.

It was then I'd told my mom of my plan. The plans I had in place to leave Jessica in two weeks when I had the extra money. The plans I had to get a new job, which I confessed I was really hoping would be the one here in Forks at the high school. And finally, I told her of the plans I had to try and win Bella's heart.

She listened to me as I told her everything, even things I probably shouldn't have. But my mother was a wise woman and I knew she would guide me well during this time. Once I was done, I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. It had felt good to talk to her about all of this. She looked at me and smiled.

"Edward," she said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone. "I really wish you had come to us sooner with this." She began typing into her phone. My mom was texting as I laid my heart open to her.

_What the fuck?_

"Um, Mom, what are you doing?" Clearly, I had been expecting a little more interest from my mom. I mean, usually, she was all into us kids pouring our hearts out, but here she was texting.

"Oh, just sending your dad a text, telling him to get his ass up here pronto," she smiled and slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"Mom?"

She patted my hand, "Just wait, Edward."

Two minutes later, my dad was at the door. "Hey, you two, everything okay?" He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

My mom stood up and walked over to my dad., "Carlisle, Edward needs his inheritance…he needs it now so he can dump Jessica and make a new life for himself - for himself and, hopefully, Bella."

_Inheritance?_

Dad looked between us and nodded, "Okay, I can call Jenks tomorrow to have him get it all rolling. He wouldn't mind doing a little work the day after the holiday, he'll charge me double and love it." He looked over at me. "You're really doing it, son? Leaving it all behind?"

I just stared at my parents. "Um, yeah, I am. But wait, what's all this about an inheritance? Mom? What are you talking about?"

My parents shared a knowing look and a smile. "Edward," Mom started, "Your grandfather, Charles Masen, was a very sound businessman. He invested in oil, the telephone company, steel, and the stock market. I was his only child and only living family member. When he passed away…well, let's just say, your dad really didn't have to work all these years. We put money away for each of you kids and for your kids after. We decided that on each of your thirtieth birthdays, we would present you with a check. But I guess if we give Edward his now, we can just do them all early, huh, sweetheart?" she asked my dad.

"I guess so." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her head. It was an endearing gesture I sadly realized I had never done with Jessica. But then I smiled when I remembered that I had done it with Bella, and I was resolved, more than ever, that I was doing the right thing.

"But why thirty?" I had to know what my mom's crazy rationale was.

"Well, by then you each would have established your lives, had done something with yourselves. The money would seem more of a gift rather than an excuse to quit reaching for your dreams. We wanted you each to find yourselves and your passions in life before the money could change it." She said this all with a shrug, like it had not been a big deal.

"Exactly how much are we talking about?" I stepped closer to them and allowed myself to get excited at the thought of what this money, any money, could do for me.

"Well, let's put it this way, you can pay off your loan to Mr. Stanley, then pay down the house and put it on the market. You can still sell that sports car, which I've always hated by the way, and buy yourself something new. You can buy a house wherever you want and you really don't have to work for quite a bit of time. Oh, and get those damned credit cards paid off!" She shook her finger at me like I was twelve and she was telling me to make my bed.

My head was reeling. I didn't have to wait two weeks, I could end it right now, this very moment. Of course, I wouldn't ruin the holiday like that, but it was good to know that, if I wanted to, I could walk downstairs right now and show Jessica the door. Although something told me that if I kicked Jessica out now, my parents wouldn't care. My mom would probably declare it the best Thanksgiving ever.

After hugging my folks, I went back downstairs with a new feeling of hope growing inside of me. When Bella got to the house, it was all I could do not to sweep her up in my arms and kiss her. But Jessica was there and I needed to just get through this one more day.

Then I found the two of them upstairs and I heard what Jessica said to Bella, and then she tried to hit her! Fuck that shit! I dragged her ass back down to the kitchen and told her that was it, no more. She tried to threaten me and I told her I would hand her father my letter of resignation personally on Monday. That had her jaw hanging.

Then I handed her the car keys and told her to drive the car back to Seattle on her own. I was going to stay with my folks for the night.

When she left, I realized that Bella had already left with Rose and Emmett. I'd tried calling her but, she didn't answer. And I was stuck at my folks. I needed to talk to her, finally tell her what was going on but I couldn't reach her.

I got hold of Emmett later on and he'd told me they had gotten home safe and that Bella went straight up to her apartment. He said she had barely spoken to Rose the whole drive home. I asked him not to tell Bella what had happened, that I wanted to do it, and he agreed. I also swore him to secrecy from his wife - he didn't like it, but I knew she would blab.

This was my news and I wanted to tell it.

I just didn't know how hard it was going to be to get to her.

* * *

**I hope this helps you all understand where Edward's mixed up head has been at... he got himself in deep, but is out and on the right path1**

**WEW! *wipes forehead***

**Back to Bella next chapter.  
Please leave some positive feedback, it is appreciated.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Welcome back... :)  
As always, SM owns all things Twilight. I just own my befuddle thoughts. **

* * *

Chapter 13

I dug through my purse for the thousandth time since my flight landed in Arizona. "Fucking damn it!" I grumbled loudly, and heard the cabbie clear his throat. I looked up and caught his eye in the rearview mirror, a mirror that had a cross and a 'WWJD' air freshener hanging from it. "Sorry," I apologized, with a shrug. "I can't find my cell."

I was in a cab headed toward Phoenix General, thankful I had written down the hospital information before I'd left the house this morning. At least I knew where I was going, even if I couldn't call anyone to tell them I was almost there.

The last ten hours since receiving Lillian's call had been a blur. Leaving my cell behind only added to my frazzled state. After I'd told Lillian I would catch the first flight I could to Arizona, I sat in the dark and stared at the moonlight filtering through my blinds. I felt as if I couldn't breathe. Phil had been such an important part of my life, one of the last connections I had to my mom. Sure, my dad had plenty of stories about the young Renee, but no one knew her like Phil did. The older, wiser Renee, before she'd gotten sick. Before she'd died. Yet, for someone who I felt was so important, I couldn't remember the last time we had talked. It suddenly seemed important that I remember and I squeezed my eyes shut hard in an attempt to pull the memory from the recesses of my mind. It had been about a month-and-a-half ago, and it was about Edward. I was bitching, and Phil was bestowing me with his straight from the hip advice, _"Piss or get off the pot."_

With new resolve, I jumped out of bed and headed for my laptop. I found a flight that left around eight that morning, despite it being a holiday weekend, and then woke Rose, begging her to drive me to Sea-Tac. I was full of nervous, anxious energy and knew I shouldn't be driving. Plus, I just really needed a friend. Thankfully, she agreed and got up to make coffee for us. I quickly called my dad, forgetting that it was still the wee hours of the morning, and told him what was happening. After writing down my flight information, the hospital information, Lillian's name and number, and then repeating it all back to me for accuracy, he told me he loved me and to be careful.

I showered and threw clothes in a carry-on bag so I wouldn't have to check luggage. I was never so thankful for the Arizona warmth that I was heading to as I was on that day. Sure, it wouldn't be summertime heat, but it would be warmer than Washington, which meant I could pack lighter. I grabbed a hooded sweatshirt to throw on over my t-shirt and jeans and then slipped my Converse on my feet. Throwing my messenger bag over my shoulder, I ran down the stairs with my carry-on. Rose, being the constant caretaker, forced me to try and eat something and then made me a coffee to go. The early morning Seattle streets were full of Black Friday shoppers and we cursed at them all as they held us up from our destination. Making it in enough time for me to quickly grab my carry-on and bag, I turned and ran for the doors of the terminal, waving goodbye to Rose over my shoulder. Looking back now, as I cursed at myself in the cab, I realized that my hasty retreat was the reason I didn't notice I hadn't put my phone back into my bag. Instead, I'd left it on the seat of the car where it had been sitting between my legs.

The cab pulled up in front of the hospital's main entrance and I pushed cash through the little window that separated me from the cabbie and told him to keep the change. Climbing out of the car, I pulled the handle up from my carry-on to roll it behind me and made my way through the sliding doors to the reception desk. I confirmed Phil's room number and headed toward the elevators.

With shaking hands, I pushed the button for the fifth floor. Lillian had told me over the phone that Phil was not in critical condition; he was stable, but pretty beaten up. However, being in a hospital - this hospital again - brought back a flood of memories that I had long since pushed from my mind.

The sterile smell of antiseptic reminded me of my mom's last days, slowly dying in this very hospital. Phil had insisted he take her home where she could die surrounded by the things and people she loved. As I stepped off the elevator, I looked around at the nurses on the floor, hard at work as they reviewed charts and spoke of other patients at their station. I stopped and closed my eyes, instantly assaulted by visions of nurses shaking their heads with sad eyes who whispered about the dying woman and her poor daughter. _"How horrible it will be for her to grow into a young woman without a mother,"_ I had overheard one say.

The sounds of carts being pushed down hallways and machines beeping all aided in the sudden feeling of pressure on my chest. I pulled in a long, slow breath to steady myself.

"Miss? Are you okay?" I opened my eyes to see a nurse in pink scrubs standing in front of me.

I forced a smile. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm actually looking for Phil Dwyer's room?"

The nurse, whose name was Jean according to her nametag, smiled at me. "You must be Bella. Lillian has been waiting for you. Come on, I'll show you his room."

I followed Nurse Jean past the nurses' station and down a long corridor.

"I came on duty about six hours ago. Lillian hasn't left his side, but she told me she was expecting you." Nurse Jean stopped in front of a door. "Here you go." She smiled at me as I pushed the door open. Stepping through the doorway, I walked the few feet past the small bathroom on my left. It hid part of the room and I could only see the foot of Phil's bed until I came to the end of the small entryway. The bed stood off the left wall, with the television across from his bed on the right wall. It was currently on, the volume turned down to near silent. Windows ran the length of the room across from the door I had just come through and I could see windows and rooftops of the buildings in downtown Phoenix. A recliner, which faced the bed and windows, was occupied by a woman, who I assumed was Lillian. Since her back was to me, I couldn't see her face but I could tell by the lean of her head and the sound of her slow, steady breathing that she was sleeping.

I left my carry-on by the wall of the bathroom and went to the other side of Phil's bed. His left arm was in a cast, as was his left leg. His head was bandaged and he had monitors hooked up to him to keep track of his heart rate. He looked so peaceful despite the scratches and bruises to his face.

"Bella?" A soft voice said my name and I looked up. Lillian slowly stood. "Bella, oh, honey, I'm so glad you're here."

Lillian was easily in her late forties and not much taller than myself. She had short, dark hair and eyes that were ice blue and rimmed with circles and crow's feet. I assumed the circles were due to her not sleeping well the last twenty-four hours. The crow's feet matched the smile lines on either side of her mouth. She had a kind face and I liked her immediately.

"Me, too. Thanks for calling me," I said. I forced a smile as I felt the tears finally begin to well up in my eyes, and choked back a sob. All of the memories and feelings that I was trying hard to suppress, combined with seeing Phil seemingly so small and weak, bubbled up from my chest.

"I thought maybe I would have gotten a call from you when you landed," she said to me, in a way that let me know she had been concerned, not annoyed.

Sniffling, I shook my head again at my own stupidity, "Yeah, I left my phone in my friend's car when she dropped me at the airport. I haven't been able to call anyone." My hands itched to touch Phil, his arm or his hand, but I couldn't find a place on his left side that wasn't covered in a bandage or plaster.

"Oh, dear," Lillian said, as she turned and bent down. She stood with her purse in her hands and fished out her phone, "Here, call someone and let them know you got here safe. I'll fill you in after you've checked in." She held her phone out to me and I hesitated, looking between it and Phil.

"He would want you to tell someone you were okay," she said. I looked at her, a small but warm smile on her face. I reached across the bed and took the phone. I smiled my thanks at her as I dialed Rose's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rose. It's me."

"Bella, are you okay? How's Phil?"

"He's a mess, but stable," I responded, exhaling a shaking breath.

"Well, I have your phone, it was in my car. Damned thing started going off like crazy!"

"I realized I'd left it," I quickly responded. I was suddenly desperate to get off the phone so I could talk to Lillian and find out exactly what had happened last night.

"Listen, Rose, can you just call my dad and let him know I'm here and safe?"

"Yeah, Bella, but…hey, I need to tell you…"

"Rose, I can't talk right now. Call me on this number if you need me. I'll call you later. Bye." I quickly ended the call, deciding that whatever she'd needed to say could wait. Phil was more important right now.

I handed Lillian back her phone, a calmness washing over me as I regained control of myself.

"Lillian, what the hell happened? Why was Phil out in the middle of the night?" My hands were on the bedrail, gripping it tightly, frustration with my stepdad showing itself in the whites of my knuckles.

"Oh, Bella. Phil had insisted on going out Black Friday shopping. He said there were some deals that he just couldn't pass up. He was so set on going on his own, and I just let him. Maybe if I had been with him…" Lillian's voice cracked and she reached down for Phil's right hand, the one that wasn't in a cast. Tears fell from her eyes and I realized that Lillian was more than just a friend, as Phil had described her in October. I was equal parts happy and sad at this revelation. I wanted Phil to find happiness and companionship, but I didn't want the memory of my mother to be lost, left behind. It's what had kept us bonded and I was afraid that if he moved on with someone else, he would move away from me.

I searched for comforting words for a woman I didn't know. I worked with words for a living, this shouldn't be hard. But the lump in my throat kept me from saying much of anything. Instead, I did what I would want, what I needed. I walked around the bed to Lillian and pulled her into a hug. We held each other, two strangers brought together through an unfortunate event, and cried. After a few minutes, Lillian pulled back and reached into her purse. Pulling out a package of travel tissues, she handed me one.

I slid the smaller chair from the corner to rest next to the recliner and we sat, Lillian holding and patting my hand, as she recounted the events of last night and this morning.

"So, he insisted he had to go shopping and left. He knew I didn't like the idea of him being out and he called me after he made his first stop to check in. He said he was successful at finding what he wanted for you. He loves you so much, dear. He was driving to the next store, using the hands-free, you know. He can talk to me over the radio, it's the craziest thing. Anyway, he was so excited about what he'd gotten for you and then all I heard was screeching and a crash and the phone went dead."

Lillian closed her eyes and sucked in a shaky breath. "The doctor says he is very lucky, although you wouldn't think it to look at him. The other driver ran a red light and hit him broadside. He has a broken arm and shattered shoulder, broken leg, cracked ribs, and a concussion. Because of the concussion and trauma to his head, they've decided to keep him here for a couple of days for observation. They did an MRI and there didn't seem to be any swelling or bleeding on the brain, but they just want to be cautious."

Her gaze drifted back over to Phil, who was breathing slowly and quietly. "It was fortunate that the officer found Phil's phone on the floor of the car. That's how I could call you." She shook her head. "I should have had your number. What if I didn't have a way to get in touch with you?"

It was my turn to pat Lillian's hand. "But you did and I'm here. Lillian? Have you eaten or even left here?" She shook her head as she dropped my hand.

Standing, she stepped back to the side of the bed and gently stoked Phil's face. Watching the endearing gesture caused a knot in my chest and I quickly realized it wasn't because I was upset that my step-dad was replacing my mother. It was because my step-dad had found something that I hadn't yet been able to. In fact, he was fortunate enough to have found it twice in his lifetime.

I shook my head to clear the jealousy as I stood by Lillian's side. "Why don't you go get something from the cafeteria? I'll stay here for a while."

She turned to me and smiled, a slow nod showing her acquiescence, as she bent to pick up her purse. "I'll be back in thirty minutes. Just need to make a few calls to our friends from work, give them an update." She turned and left the room.

I sat in the same recliner Lillian had been in not too long ago and looked around the room again. The pale blue walls held medical posters and generic works of art. The small flat-screen television was playing a talk show and I smiled to myself knowing that Phil would hate having that on. He was a news and history channel kind of guy.

There was a knock at the door as a nurse came in with a basket of flowers, a shiny balloon tied to the handle. Leaving it on the short dresser under the television, she let me know someone would be in soon to take Phil's vitals and left. I watched the balloon dance under the gentle breeze of the air conditioning and chuckled at the bear holding daisies with the sentiment _Get Well Soon_.

A short time later, Lillian breezed back into the room, telling me how everyone from work was so concerned. Apparently, a couple of the ladies were making us a dinner and we needed to be home soon to receive them.

"I know you haven't had much time with him, Bella. We can come back later tonight, before visiting hours are up." She patted my shoulder, her eyes concerned. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I actually was ready to leave, to get out of the building I loathed.

"It's okay, we can go." I stood up, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on Phil's cheek, before stepping away to make room for Lillian. When we left, the nurses bid us farewell and Lillian told them she would be back later as she waved goodbye.

We sat in Lillian's car in silence, music quietly filling the space, some sort of soft jazz. I stared out my window, watching a landscape that was both equally familiar and strange pass me by. Unsteadiness grew inside me as we drove on further, and I began to truly recognize the streets and neighborhood. This was my old neighborhood - not the neighborhood that Renee and I lived in when we first moved here. That was an old, one-bedroom apartment in a completely different part of town. This was more upscale, it was the home she and Phil had bought. It was the home where she died.

I found myself wondering how Lillian felt about that, being in the home her lover's wife had passed away in. Sure, it had been a decade ago, but the memory of Renee, my mom, had to still be there. Yet, Lillian was driving me there, familiar with the route and I was sure she had most likely spent the night, probably many nights. As if I didn't like her enough already, I liked Lillian even more for the sacrifice she was making for Phil. Because, as a woman, I knew that she was making a conscious choice, putting Phil's needs ahead of her own. It seemed Lillian and I had a bit more in common than just our love for Phil.

She made the turn into the driveway, a driveway I had played hopscotch and basketball on, though I'd rarely made a basket. I looked to the spot above the garage door and saw that the hoop was still there, and it made me smile.

We exited the car and I took my bag from the backseat. Lillian waited on me, fidgeting with keys.

"So, I, um… I have keys to the house. Sometimes…" She froze, looking down.

Her shyness made me smile. "It's OK, Lillian. I'm happy for you and Phil. Really."

She looked at me and smiled, inhaling deeply. "Well, then, let's head in," she said, and turned for the door.

The house was the same, but different. It had a feminine touch about it, but it was clearly more Lillian's style than my mom's. I found I was okay with that because just being here was hard enough without the total trip down memory lane.

Turning to me, Lillian cleared her throat. "I guess I don't need to give you the tour. Your room - well, it's the guest room now - but I think you'll be comfortable in there." The edges of her mouth rose and the crow's feet around her eyes crinkled.

"He couldn't ever bring himself to get rid of everything." I rose, an eyebrow in question but just then, the doorbell rang. Realizing it was the friends Lillian was expecting, I made my way toward the back of the house, down the familiar hall to my old room.

The door was open and I stood, just staring into a space that was once my own. There was a double bed on the right wall, a blue and lavender quilt covered it. The quilt wasn't mine; however, the lavender walls were just as I had left them. The furniture was different, but the small desk to the other side of the bed was mine, above it the corkboard I had left here when I went back to Forks.

I walked in and put both my carry-on and my messenger bag onto the bed. Kicking off my shoes and pulling off the hoodie, I walked the small space of the room and found myself standing in front of that old corkboard. On it were pictures of me and my mom, smiling and laughing. Some with me and girls I had been friends with, ones I had promised to keep in touch with and never did. On the desk was a framed picture of me, my mom and Phil. It was our last Christmas with her and as I picked it up and traced my mom's face with a finger, I was surprised that instead of tears forming at the memory, it was a smile.

A soft knock at the door broke me from my reverie and I put the frame back down.

"Bella? The ladies are gone. I figured you probably didn't want to deal with that right now. There are fresh towels in the bathroom so feel free to clean up if you want." She shifted on her feet looking uncomfortable again.

"This whole side of the house is yours, so move about as you want. When you're ready, dinner is in the kitchen. I'm going to go take a short nap, okay?" I knew her unease was because I was here, Renee's daughter.

I stepped over to her. "Lillian, thanks. And, please, don't feel uncomfortable. I'm glad Phil has you, I really am." She smiled at me before turning and leaving the room.

XOXOXOXOX

The next couple of hours I spent showering and unpacking what little I'd brought with me. I threw on a light pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt and spent time walking around the house, reacquainting myself with my old home. I had come back to visit Phil once, just after graduating from high school. Normally, he would come up and we would spend the weekend in Seattle or exploring other areas of the Pacific Northwest. Over the last few years, the visits had stopped and we were down to just phone calls and the occasional email.

Some of the furniture, the larger pieces, was the same. The large sectional sofa and flat-screen were both definitely new. The sofa was soft and supple tan leather that I sank into while reaching for the remote. There was a blanket thrown across the back of it and I pulled it over me as I turned on the television, curling up to a rerun of _How I Met Your Mother_.

That was where Lillian found me sometime later.

"Bella?" She was gently shaking me. I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep and looking up, I saw it was dark through the windows.

"Bella, don't get up, sweetie. I'm just heading back up to the hospital, to see Phil and say good night. I'll be back soon."

With that, she left. My stomach growling reminded me I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I headed to the kitchen to fix some food. Sitting at the breakfast bar, I grabbed the house phone and dialed my dad's number.

I told him about Phil and leaving my phone behind. He asked how I was and what it was like being back in Phoenix. I took comfort in his gentle baritone voice and realized I was very fortunate to have two fathers in my life. I bid him goodnight, telling him I loved him and hung up. I considered calling Rose as well, but decided I would rather not right now - maybe in the morning.

I was cleaning the kitchen when Lillian came back in, and we made plans for the next day. She had personal errands to run and offered to drop me at the hospital in the morning. The thought of being there twisted my stomach, but I knew I needed to get over it and be there for Phil.

I went to bed late that night, lying in silence and allowing myself to replay everything that had occurred since Thursday morning. Spending Thanksgiving Day with my dad and Sue and then ending the day with the Cullens. Images of Edward and his smile floated through my mind brought my own smile dancing across my lips, while replaying Jessica and her harsh words fired up anger in my chest. As I lay there, I remembered his voice yelling from the kitchen as I made my hasty getaway with Rose and Em. I could vaguely recall what I'd heard and felt my heart race as I remembered him yelling that it was over.

XOXOXOXOX

"Bella, I think it's for you," Lillian said, handing her phone over to me as we stood in Phil's hospital room. I looked down and recognized Rose's number. I slid the bar to answer.

"Hey, Rose."

"Bella! Oh, jeez. I was really hoping you would have called last night. First of all, how's Phil?"

"He's about the same. We're waiting for the doctor now, he should be in any minute to update us."

"OK, well, good. Please let me know what's going on. Now, the second reason I needed to talk to you," her voice lowered and I could hear a door close. "Em would kill me if he knew I was calling you," she whispered, "but I just can't _not_ call you. Guess what?"

Normally Rose was not a 'beat around the bush' kind of girl, but today, she had decided to play that game. Unfortunately for her, I hadn't slept well last night and I was not in the mood for games.

"Rose," it came out a little harsher than I'd meant it and Lillian looked over at me.

Giving her a weak smile, I tried again.

"Rose, please, just get to the point."

Sighing so heavily I could picture her eye-roll in my mind, she gave up.

"Fine. OK, so you know how Edward and Jessica were fighting when we left the Cullen's?"

At that moment a man, who I could only assume was the doctor, came walking through the door with a nurse on his heels.

I immediately interrupted Rose. "Rose, listen, the doctor is here, I have to go. I'll call you later, OK?" And before she could respond, I hung up.

XOXOXOXOX

It had been a couple of hours since the doctor left the room and soon after that, Lillian left. It wasn't hard to see that her shoulders looked like they were holding less tension, her whole demeanor seemed more relaxed. The doctor, who introduced himself as Doctor Drake Michel, confirmed that Phil was doing great, that they were no longer worried about any lasting brain trauma. He was still sleeping, not having woken up yet, but the doctor, who was probably in his mid-forties, reassured us that he should be waking up at any time.

"The brain and body take their time," Doctor Michel said, "we can't rush these things. He'll wake up when he's good and ready."

Lillian took that as her cue to take her leave, heading out for the grocery and other stops that she had on a list. I settled back into the recliner with a diet soda and Saturday morning infomercials on the television.

I wished more than ever that I had my phone so I could call Rose back and find out what the hell she was babbling on about. Listening to Phil's even and low breathing, I felt my own eyes drifting closed.

In my subconscious, I heard the familiar click of the door handle as the door to Phil's room opened and closed. I shifted in the recliner, with my back to the door, and cracked open my eyes. I assumed the nurse had come in to take vitals and I didn't want to be covered in sleep drool and snoring while she was in here. I stretched my arms over my head and turned, wondering why the nurse was so quiet and beginning to think I was hearing things, when my eyes fell to what I thought could only be an illusion.

My over-tired and over-stressed mind putting in front of me the one person I wanted to see the most, and the least.

Edward.

"Hey," he breathed out, his voice low and husky. Reaching out his right hand, my eyes trailed from his face down his arm and to the object in his hand. "You left your phone. I thought I'd bring it to you."

I blinked my eyes repeatedly and then rubbed them with the palm of my hands, certain I was hallucinating.

"Edward?"

He let out a chuckle, "Um, last time I checked, yeah."

The exhaustion of the last day-and-a-half caught up with me and the tears began to fall. I was sobbing uncontrollably and my best friend, the one person in the whole world I thought I could always rely on, was there.

Edward was immediately at my side, kneeling at my feet and pulling me into his chest. His whispers of comfort breathed into my hair as my body shook in his arms. As I relaxed into his arms, I became confused and angry. Why was he here? And what would I have to deal with because he came?

I was on my feet and pushing past him so fast that my movement hadn't seemed to register with Edward. He was still kneeling, facing the chair.

"Why are you here?" My voice shook with adrenaline and anger. The tears I cried were drying in salty streaks down my cheeks, and I wiped at them with the back of my hand.

He stood and came to me. I put out a hand to keep him from coming too close.

"I'm here for you, Bella. You're my friend, and I care about you." His eyes were imploring me to allow him closer, but he stayed in his place.

"My friend? What about your girlfriend, Edward? What about _her_?. She is not my biggest fan. And don't you have to be worried about all the 'ramifications' of us being together? After everything she said to me and what she knows?"

My tone was sarcastic as I threw my hands around, emphasizing my point through air quotes and long gestures.

"Bella," his hand stretched out to me, "she _isn't_ my girlfriend. Not anymore."

It was my turn to chuckle, but it came out harsh with an edge of anger.

"So, what, you're fighting again? Seems like an awfully long way to come for your anger fuck!"

"Bella, just let me explain. Give me a few minutes, I'll tell you everything." He stepped toward me and I stepped back, keeping our distance even.

"No, Edward, I can't be that person for you any longer. I won't be the one you run to when things are bad just to run from me when you feel guilty." Shaking my head, I met his eyes and hoped he could see I meant every word.

"Bella, please…"

"No, Edward. I think you need to go…"

"Oh, jussst ssshhut up and let himmmm talk." The voice was low and raspy and came from behind Edward. Edward turned toward the bed as I looked around his arm.

Phil was looking at the two of us, eyes open and a grin playing at the sides of his mouth.

"Phil?" My heart leapt at the site of him. I ran to his bedside and gently patted his chest and shoulder.

"You're awake! Oh, shit, I've got to call Lillian!" I began patting down my pockets for my phone before remembering that Edward was holding it. I lowered my head, realizing that I was grateful that he was here, even if it was just for this.

"Can I have my phone?" I snapped at him over my shoulder, as I felt a hand on top of the one I had resting on the bed rail. Looking down into Phil's eyes, he gave me a big grin.

"I love you, girl," he said before coughing and taking a deep breath, "but you really need to get off your damned soap box and give the boy a chance. Now, shut up and listen to what he needs to say."

And with that, his eyes fluttered closed. Before he fell back into sleep he mumbled, "I'm hungry, tell Lil to bring me a burger."

I turned back to Edward and he just shrugged at me, smiling. I could tell he was holding back his laughter.

And so was I.

* * *

**A/N...  
So, the boy made it to her... Sorry it wasn't much a reunion, but Bella kind of took over. Anyway, if you are VERY lucky and VERY kind and leave me HAPPY words... I may be so inclined to post Chapter 14 by Valentine's Day, and I'm hoping it won't dissapoint. :) **

**As always... a huge thanks to mauigirl60 for being my beta... and my therapist. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Happy Day Before Valentine's...  
Hearts and Kisses!**

* * *

Chapter 14

"So, you're rich?"

"Apparently."

"Like, stinking rich?"

"Pretty stinking, yeah."

Edward smirked at me around the Styrofoam cup of coffee he was sipping from.

We were sitting in the hospital cafeteria, me gently stirring a bowl of soup while nursing yet another diet soda, and Edward with his coffee. He paid for my meager meal. He should, he could afford it.

After Phil's little outburst, I had sought out the nurse, asking her to check on him and to give me Lillian's number. I called and told her what had happened, that Phil had woken up but was now asleep once again. She was unpacking groceries but said she would be there as fast as possible.

Twenty minutes later, she was running through the door. Phil had awakened again and was beaming at her as she came in, her own eyes filling with tears. Edward and I quietly left the room. Now, here we sat, as he proceeded to tell me everything that had happened on Thanksgiving.

"Can I ask why in the world your mom was waiting for each of you to turn thirty before telling you about your inheritance?" I pushed away the unfinished bowl of soup. It was too cold to eat now, plus my stomach was filled with what could only be described as butterflies. Bionic butterflies with titanium wings.

"You know, I asked her the same thing. She said that she and my father had decided it was the best age, that we all would have been settled in our lives and careers and, hopefully, families by age thirty. Because of that, we would see the money as a blessing rather than an excuse to not fulfill our personal dreams and goals."

"Wow, that was, um, smart. I think?" I sipped my soda as he gave me that lopsided grin. I swallowed hard, too hard; the soda made me cough and sputter.

"You okay?" he asked, as he attempted to assist me.

I waved him off. "Mmm fine," I managed to get out.

Sitting back down, he ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I told my mom that it sounded like a good idea. That is, until you think about the fact that my brother would get his first. He had the biggest mouth in the house and would never be able to not tell Alice and me about the money. Mom said that she and Dad had started thinking about that and had already started toying with the idea of giving it to us the first of the year. After the wedding."

"Why then? Why not for Christmas or something?"

"Well, because Alice and Jasper are going to Europe on their honeymoon. She knew if they gave Alice the money then that nothing would be left of it after that trip. You know Al, she would buy out all the stores and boutiques." His eyes danced with humor.

"Ahhh… Esme is a very smart woman."

"That she is," he smiled, and sipped again from his cup. We sat in silence just looking at each other. I still couldn't believe that he was here. He was here and he was no longer with Jessica. Well, at least for now.

"Edward, if it weren't for the money, you'd still be with Jessica. I mean…" I spun my can on the table, watching it between my fingers. "…You wouldn't be here with me, would you?"

I heard him sigh and shift in his chair. I didn't want to look up at him, afraid of what I would see in his eyes. I didn't want to see confirmation that I was right and I didn't want to see pity for the poor lonely girl, either.

"Bella, that's another story altogether. Look, we need to talk about it, but I'm not sure I want to do it here. Can we have dinner tonight? I'm sure you want to get back up to Phil and I need to find a hotel."

My eyes snapped back up. "You're staying?"

"Well, I didn't come just to return your phone. I mean, if that were the case, Rose could have just FedExed it to you." His smile was blinding and the damned butterflies in my stomach picked up their frustrating pace.

"Yeah, Rose. She had called me twice but I was always so rushed, I didn't have time to really talk to her. She kept trying to tell me something," I said, quirking an eyebrow at him. "Was it that you were coming?"

He threw his head back in a laugh and stretched out his long legs under the table. They brushed against mine and I shivered.

_Fuck._

His eyes met mine and he froze for a heartbeat. He blinked and then dropped his gaze, shrugging. "Yeah, probably. I asked her not to tell you, I wanted it to be a surprise, but I knew she'd never be able to keep her mouth shut."

He looked up at me through his long lashes and the butterflies began to pirouette inside of me.

_Double fuck._

"W-welll..." I stammered out, "Ummm, you succeeded."

"Yeah," he breathed out, smiling, "I guess I did."

XOXOXOXOX

"Lillian, thanks for bringing me back to the house." After my time with Edward, he left to check into a hotel not too far from the hospital. I gave him my address and quick directions and we agreed that he would pick me up at five. I stayed with Lillian and Phil a while longer and then she offered to drive me back to the house so I could get ready for my dinner with Edward.

"No problem, Bella. Do you have something to wear on your date?" She was walking ahead of me on the sidewalk to the front door.

"It's not a date, it's just… dinner." I was really trying to not get my hopes and expectations up. I had been let down by Edward one too many times. Granted, I had set myself up for it nearly every time, but still, it hurt.

Lillian turned to me, with the key in the lock. "Bella, when a man flies over a thousand miles to bring a girl a phone and then asks her to dinner, it's a date." She winked at me before turning the key and letting us both in.

I huffed, "Well, whatever it is, I don't have anything but jeans and t-shirts. I wasn't really expecting to do anything other than sit with Phil while I was here."

I closed the door behind me and Lillian put her things down on the entryway table. "OK, well, I have some button-down shirts and we're about the same size. Come on, let's look." I really wasn't sure how well this was going to go; after all, I was in my twenties and Lillian was… well, not.

I had managed to avoid the master bedroom yesterday, but following her into it now brought back another wave of memories. The furniture was different, a dark cherry wood instead of the light oak that had once filled the room. There were feminine touches in here as well and when Lillian walked into the large closet, I could see half of it was full of woman's clothes.

"Lillian, are you living here, with Phil? If you are, it's OK, you don't have to avoid telling me." I had a feeling she didn't want to upset me, all I wanted was for Phil to be happy.

"Well, to be honest," she said as she thumbed through multiple tops, "we had been discussing my moving in. I still have my own place. I'm renting and the lease isn't up until the first of the year. But Phil wanted to talk to you about it first. Here, this should work. Do you have a white shirt you can put under it?" She handed me a red cotton button-down.

"OK, yeah, a white tank, thanks. Lillian, you two are adults, do whatever you want. But I couldn't have picked anyone nicer for Phil to settle down with than you." And I meant it.

She smiled and pulled me in for a hug.

"Oh!" She jumped back and clapped her hands, she suddenly reminded me of Alice and I found myself missing my friends, wishing they were all here with me. "What size shoe are you? I think we're the same. I bought these red ballet flats that I haven't even worn yet, see if they fit." She was back in the closet, pulling out a shoe box and pushing it at me.

Thanking her for the shirt and shoes, I went back to my side of the house and headed for the shower. Lillian knocked on the bathroom door to let me know she was headed back for the hospital and I yelled goodbye to her through the door.

Shortly before five, I was pacing through the living room. The red shirt fit, I had rolled the sleeves to just over the elbow and left it unbuttoned enough to show the bodice of the tank top. I put a cuff in my skinny jeans and slid my feet into the red shoes, which fit perfectly. I left my hair down, it hung around my shoulders. I finished it all off with a bit of mascara and lip gloss.

I was making another lap around the house when the bell rang. I ran my now very sweaty palms down my thighs to dry them and opened the door. My breath caught at the sight of Edward standing in front of me. He was in dark wash jeans with a white oxford. His hair was a mess of gold and red and he had run his hand through it, making it stick out even more. Frozen, I just stood there and gaped at him. I wanted to be that hand.

"Um, Bella?" He smirked at me.

_Shit!_

"Uh, yeah... yeah, come on in." I pulled the door open wider and moved to the side. Stepping through the door, Edward stopped in front of me, placing a hand on the side of my neck, his thumb grazing my jaw. "You look beautiful, Bella." He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

I couldn't speak, not sure what to do about all of this. I still had Lillian's voice in my head telling me this was a date and I still didn't want to allow myself to believe it.

"So…" Edward said, turning around, his eyes scanning the walls. "This is where you grew up, before you came to Forks?" He stopped his circle, his eyes settling on me.

"Yeah, yeah it is. Here, I'll show you around." I led him through the house, showing him the kitchen and family room and ending in my room. "And this was my room. It's changed some, but you get the idea."

Edward walked over to the desk and looked at the pictures on the cork board before picking up the framed picture. "You know," he said, as he looked at the photo, "you look a lot like your mom. She was very pretty." He looked up at me, the corners of his mouth turned up, and said, "And you, you're just beautiful."

My breath caught and I rested a hand on the dresser to steady myself. The air in the room seemed to change and my skin was suddenly covered in goose bumps. Edward put the frame back down on the desk and stepped over to me, placing his hands on either side of my face. We just stood there, our eyes locked, and I felt an electric current running through his touch.

"Bella." It was a whisper, beckoning me, but I wasn't sure for what.

He leaned in and his lips were soft and warm on mine. It was a familiar feeling but somehow different and new. His tongue grazed my bottom lip and I sighed into him, allowing him entrance. But, before I could completely lose myself in him, he pulled back, smiling and pecking my lips one more time as he dropped his hands from my face. I suddenly felt cold and lost, without his touch.

"Bella, I really think we need to talk. I mean, don't get me wrong, kissing you is… always… well… I just think we first need to get some things cleared up."

He was right, I knew he was, and I forced myself to remember that the last time I'd seen him in Forks, his _girlfriend _was telling me off.

"You're right, let's go eat." I turned and led him out of the room.

XOXOXOXOX

"Italian was always my favorite," I said as the hostess seated us.

"I know," Edward said, as we each slid into the booth.

The hostess handed us our menus and a few moments later, our drink orders were taken. I ordered a glass of wine, my hands were still shaking from our kiss earlier and I hoped that it would settle me.

We made idle chit chat while we received our drinks and placed our food orders. Once the server had left, Edward cleared his throat, indicating he was ready to start talking. I, of course, took a large gulp of my wine, nearly draining it.

"Bella, I wanted to start by telling you how very, very sorry I am for how I have basically used you all this time."

My mouth opened, ready to protest and tell him it was mutual, but he held up a hand to stop me.

"Please, I have a lot to say, let me say it," he said, his tone was firm but gentle. I nodded and sat back into the leather seat.

"So, I've spent some time doing some soul searching. You asked me if I would still be here if there wasn't any inheritance, and the answer is yes. I would still be here, because you're the single most important person in my life. I've waited too long and wasted too much time. I want to move forward in my life and I realized that I didn't want to do it with Jessica."

My heart started pounding in my chest. He had said similar words before, but in drunken stupors when he was full of lust and anger. Tonight, he was sober and clear-headed and fully present in the moment. My hands fell into my lap and I started twisting my fingers together.

"Bella, since the Halloween party, I knew I had to end it with her. To be honest with you, Jessica and I had stopped being a couple well before that night. But I needed that night and hearing what she said to you, seeing how she made you feel, to be that final push in my resolve to get the hell out. It's stupid to say, but I had so much time and money invested in the relationship with her. She held everything in the palm of her hand and I was a weak pussy for dealing with it for so long."

"Edward… now, come on…" my instinct was still to defend him, even though I knew he was right.

"No, Bella. Let's call it what it is, I let her lead me around like a trained dog for the last few years. I became a shallow version of myself, one who craved attention and expensive things. And then there was you. You've always been my best friend and you've always been there for me. Over the last year, I felt things with Jessica were falling apart, but I was scared to end it, scared for what that meant; financial insecurity and starting over. So, I ran to the one person who always knew what I needed. You."

He looked at me, the green of his eyes more piercing than normal, more intense than I had ever seen them.

He reached a hand across the table and I leaned forward, looking at it and contemplating. Then, I reached out and took it. He ran his thumb over the back of my knuckles as he continued.

"Look, I never should have asked or expected you to be there for me, the way you have been. It shouldn't have come to sex and it wasn't fair to you. I've racked my brain trying to figure out why you;d open yourself up like that to me and, maybe one day, you'll tell me.

But, Bella, please understand that things with Jessica are completely over, regardless of the money. In fact, I was already planning to leave her, in another couple of weeks. I was just trying to get my car sold and find a job before I made my move."

This, of course, was news to me. "Really?"

He gave me that crooked smile. "Really."

At that moment, our salads were brought to the table and I had to release his hand. He let it go only after a gentle squeeze.

We ate in silence for a few minutes. "Edward, what was it that you were you doing - in order to leave her, I mean?" I watched as he chewed and decided that there was no one in the world with a mouth as beautiful as his.

"Well," he started and swallowed, "Em had a guy lined up to buy my car, but he had to wait to get the money together. And he'd already found me a used Jeep off Craigslist. Jasper had also been giving me some financial advice and had been helping me find a new job."

"So that's what all their secrecy has been about!" Finally, it was all becoming clear and I shook my head and laughed.

"Rose, Alice and I were wondering what Jasper and Emmett have been up to, do they know about all of this?"

"Probably. I'm sure they do now, since they know I'm here with you."

I had to ask the other question that was on my mind. "What do you mean by 'you two stopped being a couple'?"

He laid his fork down and looked at me. "Bella, we hadn't been intimate in months. I just… couldn't. And after I saw you… crying on Jacob… at the Halloween party, well, that night, I started sleeping on the sofa in my office. I couldn't stand to look at her."

"Then why was she at Thanksgiving? If you were planning to break up with her, why was she there?" I pushed my half-eaten salad to the side and picked the wine glass back up, draining it.

"Yeah, I tried to talk her into doing things separately, but she was still thinking things between us would work out, that I would finally leave everyone else behind and pick her. Leave _you_ behind, and pick _her_."

I sat in silence, running his words through my head before I settled on the one question that kept circling through.

"Edward, why are you here?"

He had told me about breaking up with Jessica and how he was planning to move forward in his life, without her. I knew about the money and how upset he was at how Jessica had made me feel. I idly wondered why he had taken so long in getting to this point, why he had been waiting to end things and not just doing it. But what I really needed to know was why he was really here.

Of course, at that moment, our dinners arrived.

We took some time and ate in comfortable silence, commenting on how good our food was and watching some of the people around us. My question, though, still hung over our table and it was beginning to push down hard on my chest.

"Bells, I'm here to apologize to you, for every way I abused our friendship. For everything Jessica did and said to you. For waiting too fucking long to get her out of my life and do what I should have done years ago. But mostly, Bells, I'm here for you."

My fork clattered as it hit my plate. He said the words I had secretly prayed he would say. It was like my dreams were unfolding in front of me and it scared me to death. As if he sensed my fear, Edward was suddenly sliding into the booth next to me, hands on my face. He turned my head so he could look me in the eyes.

"Bella, if you'll have me, I'm here, for _you_. Please say you'll forgive me, that you'll let me back in. I don't want to waste another moment. I never should have let you go when I had you in high school. I don't want to let you go again."

My chest was tight and I felt as if I couldn't breathe. I couldn't get a word out of my mouth; so, instead, I nodded as the tears began to fall down my face.

Edward wiped at them with his thumbs. "Oh, Bells, sweetie, don't cry. I'm so very, very sorry. Baby, please don't cry."

He planted kisses over each of my eyes and on the apples of my cheeks before bringing his lips to mine. It was a short, chaste kiss, but it held a million promises behind it, and all I could do was smile.

Taking in my smile, Edward beamed back at me. "Does this mean we're good?"

"Yes, yes, we're good."

He moved to leave my side, but I grabbed his arm, "Stay, stay on this side, by me?" I needed him next to me, to keep me grounded, to help me believe that this was truly happening.

"Of course," he said, kissing the top of my head and reaching across the table for his plate. We sat shoulder-to-shoulder and ate together, holding hands across our laps.

XOXOXOXOX

"Edward, please!"

He had me pressed up against his car, mouth on my neck and behind my ear, trailing kisses up and down.

"Come back to my hotel with me, Bells."

He had called me that in the restaurant earlier and it didn't affect me. But when he said it in that moment, I felt a quiver, low in my belly, my thighs instinctively clenching together.

"Edward…"

My head was tilted and my eyes were closed, my hands on his shoulders were holding on tightly.

"Bells…"

"Eddie…"

At the use of that name, the one only I'd ever used for him, he let out a low growl and I giggled. I slid my hands to his chest and pushed him back.

"Please, I need some space. You've dumped a lot of shit on me tonight. I forgive you, but I just need to really wrap my head around it."

He stepped back from me, running his hand through his hair and rubbing at his head. He was looking at the ground as he said, "So, you want me to take you back to the house, then?"

Rationally, that was probably the best idea. But around Edward, I was anything but rational. And, if I were being honest with myself, I wouldn't have it any other way.

"Now…" I said, reaching out and hooking a finger between two buttons of his shirt, "…I didn't say that. I just need a few minutes."

He looked up at me, through those insanely long eyelashes, and I saw happiness dancing in his eyes.

"OK, I can do that. Wanna take a drive?"

"Sure," I said, turning to climb into the car as he opened the door for me.

I led him around the streets of town, showing him where I went to elementary and middle school, the park I played in and the first place my mom and I had lived. I told him stories I hadn't told anyone before, like how sometimes all we ate was ramen noodles for days; or how, when I'd started my period at age twelve, my mom had bought me my favorite chocolate layer cake. She said I was now part of a special sisterhood which needed to be celebrated.

There were stories of dance parties and movie parties and I was laughing so hard, I had tears falling. Edward's hand had settled on my thigh at some point during the evening and he rubbed small circles onto it as he listened to me, asking questions and laughing along.

Finally, I knew it was time.

"Edward," I said, placing my hand on his, "let's head back, to the hotel. To your room."

He stole a glance at me before looking back at the road. "Yeah? You sure?"

I was sure, I was _more_ than sure. "Yes, please."

The butterflies had returned to my belly as we drove to his hotel and then rode the elevator up to his room. I stood next to him as he slid the key card in and walked through the door as he held it open for me. My hands were shaking as if it was our first time; in so many ways, it was.

I took my handbag off my shoulder and laid it on the desk. There was just one king-sized bed in the room on the right-side wall, with the desk, television and dresser on the left.

"Bells."

His hands were on my shoulders, rubbing gently up and down and I leaned back into his chest. He pulled my hair to one side and began placing gentle kisses on my neck. My eyes fluttered closed and my hand went up, fingers lacing into his hair, pulling him closer to me.

I turned, coming face-to-face with him, his eyes filled with lust and want, his tongue darting across his lips. I kicked off my shoes and began to unbutton my shirt, letting it drift to the floor. He followed suit, the whole time maintaining eye contact until we were naked and bare before each other.

Edward reached out, running his hand down my face. I turned into it, kissing his palm. He sucked in a breath and I looked at him, his eyes were closed and a smile played at the corner of his mouth.

"What?" I had to know what he was thinking.

"Nothing," he said as he looked at me, his thumb stroking my cheek. "It's just… you."

He slid his hand to the back of my head and held tightly as he stepped in to kiss me. It was a hard kiss, with tongue and teeth. He gently bit and sucked my bottom lip until I was whimpering. His other hand went to my breast, kneading it, twisting and pinching my nipple.

He stepped me backward until my legs hit the bed and then he gently pushed me down so I was sitting. Kneeling on the floor in front of me, he stroked my hair, pushing it behind my ear.

"You are so very beautiful, Bells. How I ever let you go is beyond me. I've been such a fool."

His lips met mine as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling his chest tightly to me. Pulling back he whispered, "Slide up."

I complied, sliding back along the bed until my head was on a pillow. He crawled up the bed and over me, planting kisses on my mouth and neck before dropping to pull my right nipple into his mouth. He held it between his teeth, flicking his tongue over it and I ran my hands up and down his back feeling the muscles and tension he was holding there. He was carefully keeping his hips lifted from me and I was desperate to touch him, to feel his hardness in my hand. As I reached out for him, he pushed my hand away, tisking at me around my nipple. Moving to the left nipple, he worked it over like he had the right. All I could do was hum and mewl, sounds of pleasure falling from my lips.

His mouth left my breasts, kissing down my abdomen before dipping his tongue into my belly button, and then kissing along my pelvic bone. I reached for his face, I knew where he was headed.

"Edward…" I wanted him to know, he didn't need to do this for me.

He looked up and grinned. "Bells, just relax."

He continued his descent, placing a palm on the inside of either thigh, pressing my legs into the mattress, spreading me open.

"Beautiful," he whispered and dipped his tongue into me, circling my clit before taking a long, slow lick. My hands weaved into his hair and I couldn't help but pull him in closer, tighter, and I heard his chuckle from between my thighs. He continued his assault, fucking me with his tongue, lapping at me and sucking my clit into his mouth, scraping it with his teeth.

By the time I came, I was twisting under his hands, panting and breathing his name, "Eddie".

Kissing the inside of each thigh, he slid back up. "Was that ok, then?" He grinned down at me.

"Fuck, yeah," I rasped out and then pulled him into a deep kiss. I could taste myself on his lips, his tongue.

I wrapped my legs around his hips as he hovered over me, so close but not close enough.

"Please, Eddie. Please," I begged.

He pulled back to look me in the eyes, holding my gaze, it felt like the room suddenly tilted. We were the same two people we always were, doing something that was not unfamiliar to us, but it was different. _We_ were different. There was a current running between us that was new and exciting and it took my breath away, and from the look in his eyes, Edward was feeling the same thing.

As if he knew what I was thinking, he asked, "Do you feel that, Bells?"

"I do," I smiled back up at him and, as his forehead came to rest on mine, he slid into me.

* * *

**A/N ... So, there you have it... :) Happy times, for now at least. There has to be a little more drama, they have to go back home at some point!  
Mad Props to the best Beta in the land... MauiGirl60.  
You would be reading total crap if it weren't for her... OK, maybe not total crap, but there would be a huge overuse of commas and I'm sure it would drive you all batty!**

**In parting, I will leave you with a Saint Valentine greeting...**

**Roses are Red,  
Violets are Blue,  
FanFiction's addicting  
And RPatz is, too!**

**LMAO! OK, lovely peeps... Leave me some luv!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Welcome back!  
As always, all these original characters are not mine, they belong to Ms S Meyer. But, I enjoy hanging out with them in my mind, none the less.**

* * *

Chapter 15

_Shit!_

I was in bed with Edward. Naked. We had sex last night, multiple times.

_Shit!_

I covered my face with my hand and quietly chastised myself. Edward was snoring lightly next to me and I parted my fingers as I slowly turned my head to the left to peek at him. He was snuggled into my side, his face looked positively angelic in the half-light that was filtering through the hotel curtains. I craned my head to the right, trying to keep my body as still as I could, to look at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly seven in the morning.

_Shit._

Last night with Edward was…well, fantastic. OK, fantastic didn't really begin to describe how it was. It was wonderful and erotic and, most of all, liberating to have been able to share that intimacy with him without the guilt. But now? Now I felt like an idiot. I wanted Edward and he clearly wanted me, but now I wondered if I had caved too easily. After all, he still had a mess that had to be finished up back in Seattle. Jessica was sure to put up a fight. Plus, there was his job to deal with, and mine for that matter. As much as I wanted to just bask in the afterglow of great sex with a man I was crazy for, I just couldn't stop thinking of all the problems that we had to get through.

But, damn, it had felt so right.

"Stop it."

I looked back over to my left. His eyes were still closed, but a smile was toying at the corners of his mouth.

"Stop what?" I questioned.

He cracked an eye open at me. "Stop overthinking it. I know you, Bells, and you're currently freaking out inside, wondering if what we did last night was a good idea."

Damn, the man knew me too well. I settled back into the pillow and stared at the ceiling. I was silent as I attempted to put into words the multiple reasons why this had been a bad idea. I finally just took a breath and plowed ahead with my jumbled thoughts.

"Well, Edward, you have to admit, it does seem a little rushed. Not that it wasn't good… I mean great. No, fan-fucking-tastic is more like it, but still, was it really the best time? After all, what will everyone say? I mean, we have some shit we still need to work out and you showed up here all k_night in shining armor_ and made me swoon and what did I do?

I just went, 'Okay Edward, fuck me' and spread my legs for you. Again." My hands were flailing around and I knew I was being overly dramatic, but I continued on, "Besides, you also have to take care of things with your job and Jessica. That alone could take a while and if she knew about this, us, then she might make it harder for you. And where are you going to live? I mean, we sort of jumped into this and maybe…" I was cut off by his hand clasped over my mouth.

"Isabella Marie Swan, do not ruin this moment. Enjoy it, embrace it; do not belittle it and turn it into something wrong, when it isn't. Yes, we need to work some things out, and we will, but not right now."

His voice was firm as he slowly released his grasp over my mouth and lifted himself up onto his elbow. He was braced slightly over me and I realized it had been a long time since I'd been able to enjoy the morning with him, like this. Our last few encounters were always shadowed in shame, with him slinking out at some point. Today, we could just be here, together.

He grinned down at me. "I promise that I'll give you ample time to make your pros and cons list and overanalyze this entire thing… later."

I stared into his eyes. They were more beautiful than I'd ever remembered seeing before. He was a vision, with his messy bed hair and day-old scruff.

I felt the smile creeping across my face. "OK," I said.

He smiled back at me. "OK?"

"Yup, OK. I'll try to not worry, overanalyze and turn this into something bad, when it clearly isn't." The butterflies from the day before began dancing inside me again and I was starting to enjoy the lightheaded and giddy feeling they gave me.

"No, it was clearly…what was that word again? Oh, yes," he beamed and kissed the tip of my nose, "fan-fucking-tastic."

I rolled my eyes at him and attempted to get up from the bed. Grabbing my arm, he pulled me back.

"Where are you going?"

He had pulled me down so I was half-lying on his chest, legs dangling off the bed, the toes of my right leg skimming the floor. It was a very uncomfortable position and probably just as unattractive, especially considering I was naked. I tried to adjust my position but failed.

"Edward, dear, as much as I love lying around in bed with you, I _am_ a human, after all, and nature calls."

He gave me a smacking kiss on the top of my head, releasing his hold on my arm so I could sit up.

"Fine, but come right back; now that I have you, I don't want to let you go."

That comment froze me to the spot where I sat. Did he have me? My self doubt crept back into the recesses of my brain. Sure, he was here now, but what about when we went back home? I tried to shake off the negative thought.

_Just enjoy the moment._

That was what I reminded myself as I stood and padded into the bathroom, accompanied by a wolf whistle.

Closing the bathroom door behind me, I turned on the light and appraised myself in the mirror. I was a mess…a well-sated mess, but a mess nonetheless. The worry of the last few days showed itself in the circles under my eyes. Of course, that could have also been from the lack of sleep last night. My hair was a disaster, standing in a knotted mess off my head. I attempted to smooth it down, even using Edward's brush which I found in his attaché case on the counter. But, it was no use. He had a bottle of mouthwash and I used it to try and get rid of my sleep breath.

Looking at myself, the typical insecurities set in; after all, I was no Jessica. I wasn't a tall, well-toned, blonde beauty with big boobs. I did the typical spin, sucked in my belly, checked out my ass and then sighed. I was more concerned with how Edward saw me today then I'd ever been in the past decade. Even the first time we had sex, back in high school, I had been less self-conscious.

"Fuck it," I mumbled and reached to turn on the shower. Maybe a hot soak would make me feel a little better and give me some courage to go back into the room.

I had no sooner climbed in and began wetting my hair when Edward knocked on the door. As he opened it, he peeked around and eyed me through the glass shower enclosure.

"I thought you were coming back to bed?"

He stepped in and proceeded to take care of his own personal business. I turned my back to give him some privacy.

"Well, I just looked like crap and decided I needed a shower. I thought it might help."

I glanced back over my shoulder and he was brushing his teeth. As I lathered the shampoo in my hair, I took a moment to just watch him. I had the freaking Adonis himself standing in the bathroom with me. His naked body was a gorgeous sight and only aided in adding to my own sudden discomfort in my skin. I turned back into the water and began rinsing the soap from my hair. I jumped when I felt hands on my sides.

"Fuck! You scared me!" I shouted, wiping water from my face.

He looked down at me, looking quite amused and happy with himself for having scared me.

"Gee, sorry, Bells."

He shrugged as he chuckled and maneuvered me so he could get under the water and wet his own hair. Bringing his face out of the spray, he grinned back down at me.

"I figured that I would join you in here. Do my part for the environment, conserving water and all."

I crossed my arms over my chest and he just stared at me.

"What's up, Bells? You look serious. I thought we agreed not to overthink things right now, remember? Less than ten minutes ago, you agreed. I was there."

He soaped up the washcloth and began scrubbing me down, stopping only to gesture for me to spin around so he could wash my back. It was nice, having his hands on me this way, but instead of relaxing me, it keyed me up.

"Edward, look, I just feel like we need to ease up a little, slow down."

I felt him press his lips to my shoulder.

"Edward, that is _not_ slowing things down!" I huffed at him and spun to face him.

As I did, I took a step back and nearly slipped. He caught me, his hands on my waist, and stepped into me, effectively pushing me against the tiled wall.

"Bella, I never said I wanted to take things slow. I've wasted too much time already," he said as he kissed and sucked on my neck.

My brain was screaming at me, telling me that this needed to stop, but my body was screaming something altogether different.

It wasn't until I thought about Phil that I was able to stop Edward's onslaught on my neck.

"Phil! Shit!"

Now it was Edward's turn to jump back, scared.

"What the hell, Bella?"

"Edward, I need to call Lillian, Phil may come home today and if not today, then tomorrow. Either way, I need to find out what's going on. Plus, I didn't go home last night. She might want to know that I'm OK."

I stepped around him and grabbed the bottle of conditioner from the ledge in the shower.

"Oh, I'm sure she's figured out that you're OK. More than OK, really," he said in his most seductive tone and ran a finger down my spine, stopping at the top of my ass.

"Har-har," I sniped and shook off his hand.

I poured some of the conditioner in my hand and ran it through my hair quickly, using my fingers to separate the strands, and then rinsed it. Sliding the door open, I grabbed a towel and jumped out.

It wasn't until I turned back and looked at him, that I realized the condition I was leaving Edward in, his semi-wood was pointed at me and he wore a look of disappointment on his face. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Look, you let me make that pros and cons list and maybe we'll talk about taking care of that rather large problem you have there," I cleared my throat and pointed my finger at him teasingly."

The look on his face was priceless, but then he cocked an eyebrow at me. His long fingers reached around his cock and he started stroking it, as my jaw fell open.

"OK, Swan, I see how it's going to be." His hand moved over his length and I shuddered as I watched.

I closed my eyes. "Edward, do whatever you need to, I'm getting dressed."

I walked out of the bathroom and over to the bed, an unmade bed that mocked me and my stupid overthinking ass. I sank down on the foot of it and put my head in my hands. It took all my energy and willpower to walk away from him, it was not something I was used to doing - ever. I composed myself and then got dressed in yesterday's clothes, something I didn't like having to do, but it was clearly my only option. I found a hair tie in my bag and put my hair up before grabbing my phone. It was now well after eight, so I figured it would be safe to call Lillian.

Pressing her name to dial her number, it rang only twice before Lillian picked up. "Morning, Bella. I take it your non-date went well?" Her voice sang into the phone and I could picture the grin on her face. As for me, my face was on fire, the blush from my embarrassment ran from my forehead to my chest.

"Ummmm… yeah, about that, I hope you weren't worried or anything." I walked to the chair that was at the small desk and sank into it. Spinning toward the window, I pulled the curtain to the side. It looked like it was going to be a beautiful day.

Lillian let out a giggle, "No, Bella, dear. I wasn't concerned at all. I could tell that you and that young man had a special connection the brief moment I spent with the two of you, so I'm not surprised that you didn't come back to the house. Plus, the fact that he came for you."

"Well, I mean, he didn't so much come for _me_ as he did to, you know, bring me my phone. He knew I needed it, is all." I was toying with the corner of the curtain, twisting it, taking my anxiety out on it.

"Mmmm-hmmmm. OK, Bella…"

Clearly, it was time to change the subject. "So, what's going on with Phil today? Is he getting to go home?"

"No, it looks like tomorrow. Will you be stopping by to visit him today?"

"Of course. Actually…" I started, but at the sound of the bathroom door opening, I spun around in the chair.

Edward stepped out, a towel wrapped low on his hips. He sauntered to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Pulling out a pair of boxers and a white t-shirt, he looked at me and smiled as he dropped the towel.

My breath hitched as it fell to the floor and he stood in front of me, naked. Even flaccid, his cock was beautiful. I moved my eyes up the V that was formed there and wished I could lick it, from hip bone to hip bone. His stomach was flat and his chest was riddled with muscles and with just enough hair scattered across the pale skin to run my fingers over and toy with. I swallowed hard as I looked back down, realizing that Edward was growing hard under the scrutiny of my stare.

"Bella? Bella, are you okay?" Lillian's concerned voice broke through my Edward-induced haze.

Blinking rapidly, and to the sound of Edward's laughter, I coughed and looked away before speaking, "Y-y-yeah, um yeah, I'm OK. So, we'll be there by ten, OK?"

Lillian let out another giggle, "OK, Bella. See you two kids in a while." With that, the line disconnected. I looked back over at Edward, who had already pulled on a pair of jeans and had a light blue polo in his hands to wear over the t-shirt.

I grabbed a pen off the desk and chucked it at him. "Not nice, Cullen."

"Hey, you started it, cockblocker," he said, giving me that crooked grin. "Now, let's get some breakfast, I'm starved."

XOXOXOXOX

We made our way up to Phil's room in comfortable silence.

After we'd left the hotel earlier, we had gotten some breakfast at a restaurant that advertised an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. Not my normal thing, but they had a guy there that would make you a fresh omelet, so I opted for that. Edward, on the other hand, loaded his plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and fried potatoes, with a biscuit perched on top. That was his first plateful. The boy could eat his weight in food.

After Edward was finally stuffed with as much breakfast food as he could stand, we went back to Phil's house so I could put on some clean clothes. Lillian wasn't at the house, but she had left a note to let me know she would just meet us at the hospital.

Being at the hospital with Edward made it seem less frightening. He held my hand, our fingers laced together, and I truly believed that I would be okay. He knew enough about my mom, her illness and death, to discern that I was uncomfortable here. He lent his gentle support in the best way possible and I found I was glad that my best friend was here. For now, I was pushing thoughts of what else we could be to the side. Right now, I was here for Phil.

As we approached his door, I could see it was propped open and I heard his loud, raucous laugh. The sound of it instantly brought a smile to my face.

Edward released my hand as my step picked up and I rounded the corner into my step-dad's room.

"There she is!" Phil was sitting up in the bed, Lillian was perched on the side of the bed next to him, and a nurse was just taking off the blood pressure cuff.

"Your pressure is good for now, but we still have that heart monitor on," she said, wagging a finger at him, "so don't think we won't know if something is going on in here."

Lillian's face turned red and Phil let out another loud laugh.

"Ok, Mae, we'll try to keep it clean in here!"

The nurse, Mae, chuckled to herself and left the room, smiling at me as she passed. I went straight to Phil and Lillian moved so I could get an arm around his non-broken side and hug him. I felt the sting of tears as they pooled in my eyes.

"Oh, Phil. I thought I had lost you!" I rasped against his neck.

He patted me on the back. "Yeah," he said in a gruff voice, filled with emotion. "I've been getting that a lot lately."

I stood up and looked at him. The smile on his dark tanned face was brilliant and I made the decision then and there to stay in better touch with this man.

"So!" He looked around my arm. "Who's the guy?"

"Edward Cullen, sir. A friend of Bella's."

Edward was next to me, holding his hand out to Phil. Phil eyeballed him, his forehead creased as he narrowed his gaze. He took Edward's hand and gave it a squeeze. I knew it was a hard squeeze as I could hear Edward take in a sharp breath. Their hands stayed there, clasped and unmoving.

"Edward, I'm trusting you to take care of my girl here. She is more precious to me that you could ever know." Phil's voice was deep and full of sincerity.

"I… I plan to… I mean, I will, sir. She's …well, she's precious to me, too." Edward was stammering over his words and Phil smiled as he pumped their hands.

"Well, then," Phil's face broke back into his signature smile, "I think we're good here!" He released Edward's hand and I stole a glance at him, over my shoulder. He looked flustered and his face was red, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"OK." Lillian walked to Edward's side and placed a hand on his arm. "Edward, how about you buy me a cup of coffee and we let these two catch up."

Edward just looked at Lillian and nodded as she took him by the arm and led him out of the room. She pulled the door closed behind her and as soon as I heard it click closed, I doubled over in laughter.

Phil grabbed his side as he guffawed as well. "Oh, my God, Bella! Did you see his face! He went all pale and then bright red! That was, that was the best thing I've seen in days!"

I slid the recliner that was still stationed next to the bed a little closer. Sitting in it, I leaned forward, my arms folded on the side of the bed. I slipped my hand into Phil's and smiled up at him.

He looked down at me. "So…Edward?"

"So…Lillian?"

He was not diverting this conversation to me until I got some answers.

He opened his mouth to speak and I shut him down.

"No, Phil, come on. Nearly two months ago, you were telling me you weren't serious about anyone, that no one compared to my mom."

"No one ever could," he interrupted and dropped his gaze to where our hands were joined.

"Phil, that's fine. However, you made things with Lillian seem so casual when we spoke. But it's clearly anything but that since she's practically moved into your house - which, I'm fine with, by the way. I was just wondering, what happened?"

I rested my head on my arms as I waited on his response.

He sighed, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more pronounced as he struggled for the right words.

"Bella, I think I just decided to take my own advice. Piss, or in my case since I'm a guy, _shit_ or get off the pot, you know?" He looked at me and I gave him a small nod. "Lil and I have been sort of dating off and on for a year, but I was just so afraid that if I fully opened myself up to someone, I would lose the memory of your mom. Like somehow, it would make what Renee and I had together stop existing. But, I realized that wasn't the case – at least not with Lil. She's like Renee in some ways, caring and kind, she has a heart of gold. But in others, she's completely different, reserved and afraid to try new things. It's funny, when she acts like that, it reminds me of a certain little girl I used to know." He squeezed my hand and smiled down at me.

"She seems great, Phil. I really like her."

"Thanks, kiddo, that means a lot. Especially since I'm going to ask her to marry me."

My head jerked up as I squeaked out, "What?!"

Laughing at me, Phil pulled his hand from mine and cupped my cheek.

"Bella, if there's one thing that this whole stupid accident has taught me, it's to not put anything off for tomorrow. Live life now because you don't know if you will even _have_ a tomorrow. Be open to love and happiness and take it every moment you can get it."

He rubbed his thumb on my cheek. "Now, about Edward."

I sighed heavily and dropped my head back onto my arms. "Phil, he just came to bring me my phone, nothing else."

He patted my head, "Bella, that young man flew over a thousand miles to just _bring you your phone_. Don't belittle that gesture, because with that one gesture alone, he's shown you what you mean to him. Not to mention, Lil said you didn't stay at the house last night."

I huffed, "It's complicated."

"Only if you make it that way, Bella. If you want it to be easy, it can be. When I decided that Lil was who I wanted to be with, everything just fell into place. It's been a roller coaster of a ride, but it's been worth it. And now I don't plan on wasting one more moment of my life without her in it. I was a lucky man to have found the love I had with your mom. I am more than blessed to have the opportunity to know that love a second time. I lost a year that I could have had her with me every day. Don't waste time, Bella. That's all I'm saying."

We sat there in silence for a few minutes as I pondered the idea of just jumping into things with Edward with both feet.

_To hell with worrying about everyone else!_

"So, how's Charles?" Phil broke the silence first. I sat up, propping my chin on my hand.

"He's good. He has a live-in girlfriend too. Though I don't know if he's quite ready to ask her to marry him," I smiled and quirked a brow.

"Yeah, well, we all know I always had bigger balls than Charlie," Phil smiled at me, wagging his eyebrows.

"Ewww! Gross, Phil!"

"What? I just meant I have more guts than him, take chances. It's what your mom loved about me… Jeez Bella! What did you think I meant? Dirty-minded girl." We laughed together for a moment.

"You know, I haven't talked to Charlie in years, I should call him up. Maybe he and his lady friend would like to get together the next time Lil and I are up that way. That wouldn't be awkward, right?" He rested his head back on the pillow, the bed was elevated at the head and kept him straight up, but he was beginning to look tired.

"No, Phil, that wouldn't be awkward at all," I said in my most sarcastic tone.

"You know, before this stupid accident, I almost had Lil talked into getting a motorcycle, maybe one of those Honda Goldwings. It would have been nice, too, she'd have armrests and there was storage in it. I even told her we could get one of those three-wheeled ones if it would make her feel better…"

"Phillip Joseph Dwyer! I told you _no_ motorcycle!"

I saw Phil's face blanch as I turned to look behind me. Lillian was standing with her hands on her hips and fire in her eyes.

I looked back at Phil. "Man you're in a shit-ton of trouble now," I mock-whispered to him and heard Edward chuckle from behind me.

Phil looked down at me. "Shut up, little girl or I'll tell the story about the first time your mother dragged you to a dance class."

I sat up quickly, throwing my hands up in surrender. "OK, OK! I'm done, you don't need to play dirty!"

I stood up and kissed his forehead.

"OK," he said, smiling up at me. "Now, get out of here, let me have some alone time with my woman. I think I'm due for a sponge bath," he waggled his eyebrows at me and Lillian smacked his good leg.

"Phillip!" she said in mock embarrassment. I could see it in her eyes that she adored him and would do anything for him, including a sponge bath.

That thought was my cue to leave.

"OK, well then, I guess we'll see you later?" I stepped over to Edward and he wrapped an arm around my waist. It felt…natural.

"Yeah," Lillian said as she sat on the edge of the bed, by Phil, "why don't you and Edward come to the house for dinner. Plus then you can help me get things ready for cripple here to come home. He's going to be in a wheelchair and I need to move some furniture around."

"Sounds great," Edward answered before I could.

"Well, then, get out of here you two. Go to the museum or something," Phil had his hand on Lillian's leg and turned his gaze toward her. "I'd like to catch up with my woman here."

With that, Edward and I left the room, closing the door behind us as we went.

"I feel like we need to hang a _Do Not Disturb _sign on the door. I'm concerned for what the nurse may find when she walks in there."

Edward was leaning into my ear as we walked down the hall. I pushed the button for the elevator and the doors slid open.

Stepping into it, we were the only ones there as the doors closed. I turned to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I think that's half the fun for Phil. Carpe diem and all."

"Really?" Edward gave me that crooked smile I loved.

"Really," I responded and stood up on my tiptoes to press my lips to his.

Piss or get off the pot.

Don't waste another moment.

I was going to jump in, with both feet, hold my breath and hope for the best.

* * *

**A/N: So, we are moving along quite nicely... Just need these two kids to get it together... TOGETHER. :)  
Thanks to beta extraordinaire, mauigirl60, who surprised me and had this done tonight to I could share it with all of you a day early. All hail mauigirl60! **

**LMAO... OK lovelies... please leave some kind words for me. I love having an email inbox full of notifications...  
And if we are all lucky... very lucky... there may be another update by Monday. Just need to figure out what I can bribe my awesome beta with, first.**

**XOXO ~ M**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the delay - they were stubborn and I was stuck.  
I hope you enjoy their outing :)  
As always Stephanie Meyer owns all things Twilighty... Luck lady.**

* * *

Chapter 16

"Yes, Rose, Edward's here and yes, things are good."

I finally paid attention to my phone when we left the hospital. A dozen missed calls from both Rose and Alice and at least that in text messages asking me to call. They knew Edward that was here and wanted to know what had happened.

I waved Edward on ahead of me and he went into the admission lobby and purchased our passes for the museum. I hadn't been to the Heard Museum since I was a young girl. Renee had loved bringing me here to look at the Native American art and the changing exhibits. I was excited to be sharing this with Edward.

"Bella, tell me what happened when he showed up - did you run into his arms? Was it romantic or did you kick him in the balls? Alice is hoping that it was romantic. You can probably figure out what I wanted to see," Rose chortled into the phone. Of course, she would want to see me inflict pain. I wasn't surprised.

I was pacing the sidewalk and looked up to see if Edward was still inside. He wasn't, but he was staying by the door to give me some privacy.

"I didn't run into his arms and I didn't kick him in the balls. I laid into his ass, but then Phil woke up and told me to shut up." I grinned at the memory of my step-dad yesterday.

"No way! He was still asleep and just happened to wake up? At that moment? Bella, you can't write this shit!"

"Actually, Rose, I'm sure someone already has written about it, it's not that original of a concept. It's just never happened to me." I twisted a loose strand of hair between my fingers as I kept my eyes on the beautiful man who awaited me.

"Whatever, Bella. You know it was cool, you just don't want to admit it. So, what happened next?" This is where it got tricky, how much should I tell her? I decided that, for now, the least amount of info I gave her was for the best.

"Well, we talked and then went out to dinner. He told me about his breaking up with Jessica and the money…"

"Holy shit! I know! Can you believe it? Emmett is already planning to buy one of those jumbo flat-screens and I think we may actually start thinking about kids now. And maybe a new house... and, of course, he said we'd have to get a dog…"

Rose had gone off on her own tangent which I decided to use to my advantage. "Hey, Rose, look, we can talk more later on. Right now, I have to go."

"Wait, Bella, you didn't tell me much…did you kiss? Did you _do _it?"

I rolled my eyes; what were we, fifteen? "Goodbye Rose." Before she could say anything else, I pressed the 'end' button. I put the phone on silent and slid it back into the pocket of the messenger bag I wore across my chest.

Edward was already standing in front of me. "Everything okay back home?" he asked, reaching out for my hand. I took it and felt a shiver climb up my arm. I couldn't help the grin that crossed my face at the simple gesture of his holding my hand in public.

"Yeah, it's good. You ready to spend the day looking at art?" We swung our hands as we walked through the door, Edward waving at the young girl behind the counter. She giggled and batted her eyes. He squeezed my hand, leaned into my ear and said, "I'm ready to do anything and everything with you, Bells."

XOXOXOXOX

"I think I liked the 'Native People in the Southwest Exhibit' the best," Edward said, as he sipped his lemonade and looked back over the museum brochure. We were currently sitting in the Courtyard Café of the Heard Museum, having decided to have a late lunch there. I was enjoying my 'Dreamcatcher' salad, which was adorned with avocado, corn, golden raisins, couscous and pepitas. It was a delicious southwestern salad that made my taste buds hum.

"I think I may get my mom a book from the gift shop. She'd love this place, the art and the history of the Indians. Maybe my dad could bring her here, they never take vacations."

He set the brochure down to pick up his 'Southwestern Roast Beef' sandwich. He took a bite and made happy food noises as he chewed. The sourdough bread was supposed to be fresh and it was stuffed with roast beef, green chiles, white cheddar and a chipotle mayonnaise.

"Om-m-gawd…!" His eyes were closed as he began to proclaim his love for the sandwich in a language I couldn't understand.

I couldn't help the giggle that bubbled out of my chest. We had spent the last two hours roaming the museum and still had exhibits we wanted to double back and take another look at. It was relaxing and fun, something that Edward and I hadn't been able to be together in a very long time.

I sipped my iced tea and smiled as he opened his eyes and dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin. "What?" he questioned, and I shook my head at him.

"Nothing, you just _really_ like that sandwich. You sounded like you were about to have an orgasm while you were chewing." I forked another bite of my salad and had no sooner gotten it inside my mouth, when Edward leaned close to me and said, "Well, you should know quite well what that sounds like. You know, if I were having an orgasm, I would have been a whole hell of a lot louder than that!" He sat back up and quirked an eyebrow at me. "_And_ I would also have been screaming your name."

That last part made me choke on my half-chewed food. I took a sip of my iced tea to wash it down, shaking my head at the lovely man across from me. I adored this playful side of Edward and hoped that it wouldn't disappear when we returned to Seattle.

I decided to try and change the conversation, getting away from talk of sex. "I liked the Kachina dolls. Some of them were quite beautiful and ornate."

"I never pictured you for a doll girl, Bells." He was using his personal nickname for me more and more, and it warmed me every time I heard it.

"Well, they aren't really 'dolls' in the traditional sense, are they? Besides, I can appreciate the dedication it takes to create something like we saw."

"Maybe I'll get you a book on Kachina dolls to take home - or, better yet, I'll get you an actual Kachina doll of your very own," he said, as he wiped his hands on his napkin, having polished off the rest of his sandwich.

"Edward, just because you have money now doesn't mean I want you spending it all on me. I won't let you do that; you need to get stuff together back home."

I was done with my own lunch and sat back in my chair, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun on my shoulders.

"You can protest as much as you want, but you can't stop me."

He sat and looked at me, like the cat that ate the canary. I knew he was just waiting to see if I would argue with him, but I had something altogether different to talk to him about. It was now or never, so I took a deep breath and charged ahead. If I was going to jump in with both feet, then I wanted to be sure of how deep the water was before I hit it and broke something - like my heart.

"Edward, what are your plans for when you get back to Seattle?" There, that was easy enough.

"When _WE_ get back to Seattle you mean, right?" He sipped his lemonade until it made a slurping noise, indicating the cup was empty.

"OK, when _WE _get back; what are your plans?"

"Well, I have my letter of resignation all typed and ready. Jasper suggested I courier it over to Stanley's office, but I'd rather do it in person. Sending it by courier would make me look like I'm scared to face him, which I'm not. Then, I plan to rent a truck; Em and Jaz said they'd help me move what I want out of the house and into storage. Both of them have even offered me a bed to sleep in until I can figure out what I'm going to do for sure."

"What about the house? You aren't just going to walk away from it, are you?" It was a beautiful home and it was a shame he was going to have to leave it behind.

"I'm going to put it on the market. I considered just letting Jessica have it, but my mom reminded me that we weren't married and I owed her nothing. Honestly, I think Mom is just ready to get Jessica out of our lives. Anyway, Jasper did recommend that I have the locks changed, which Emmett was doing for me on Friday. Even though Jessica has gone back to her parents', we all agreed it was best, you know, to protect my stuff."

He was twisting the napkin he was holding and I could tell that although he was determined in what he was doing, it was still difficult for him. I watched his long fingers working the paper as I chewed on my lower lip.

"Edward, I'm sorry that you have to go through all of this, I wish things had worked out differently for you." He looked at me, surprised by what I'd said. But it was true. "Look, as your friend, I _am_ sorry that you're hurting and that you have to deal with all this bullshit. However, I certainly am _not_ sorry that you kicked Jessica to the curb. 'Cause Edward, she was a total bitch!"

He shook his head and laughed, lightening the mood, then leaned forward and reached a hand across the table toward me. I reached out and took it in mine.

"Bella, don't feel sorry for me, certainly not for ending things with Jessica. I was the fool who stayed with her for so long. I'm not sorry that I'm going through any of this, because it means that I get to move forward in my life. I just hope you'll be there with me." His face split into a huge grin. "And yes, she _was_ a complete bitch! What the fuck was I thinking?"

Now it was my turn to laugh. "We all figured she was just a really good lay!"

He squished his face up at me. "Really, that's what you all thought?"

I nodded, chuckling. "Yeah, Emmett and Jasper said that was the only way they would have stayed with a mega bitch like Jessica, if she had… let me see if I can get this straight…and I quote, 'A pussy made of gold'."

His head fell onto his arm as he laughed.

I watched his back shake with laughter and realized that Edward wasn't the only foolish one sitting here. I'd been just as much of an idiot.

For years, I'd done an excellent job of sabotaging my own happiness by pushing Edward away. I convinced him that I didn't want a long distance relationship and that I wanted him to enjoy the college experience without the hindrance of a girlfriend. Then, when we hooked up again in college, I'd told him I didn't want anything serious, that casual sex worked for me. Of course, that had been a lie. All I'd ever wanted was a steady relationship with Edward, but I'd just never felt good enough for him - not pretty enough or smart enough. I had convinced myself that being Edward's best friend was good enough for me, while I secretly pined away for him.

When things had changed this last year - after that first time we'd had sex and then each time he would come over after yet another fight with Jessica - I'd told him again and again that it meant nothing to me. I had begun to convince myself that I didn't want or deserve more and that he would never really want me, anyway. But…he was here, _now_. He _did _want me.

"Hey." His soft voice broke me from my thoughts. "What are you thinking about?"

I looked down to my lap and then lifted just my eyes to meet his. I shrugged as I tried to put my thoughts into words.

"Just thinking about how you weren't the only one who'd been a dumbass in all of this. I've always liked you, Edward, like _really _liked you, for years, but I've never felt good enough for you; not with the parade of girls you'd always had around you. It was just easier to convince myself I only wanted to be your friend. Sure, sometimes it was friends _with benefits_, but either way, I never had to worry about your rejecting me. I guess because I'd been doing it for you. Does that make sense?"

"Bella, it was _always_ you who I wanted. I hated it when you pushed me away time after time. But I was too scared to tell you how I really felt, for fear of losing my best friend. As far as you not being good enough for me? Well, that's total shit."

He pushed his chair back and stood up, taking a step around the table. He knelt down next to me, gripping both of my hands in his, and looking at me with fierce intensity, his eyes darting between mine.

"Bella, don't you see? You're more beautiful to me than any other woman in this world. You are _my _Bella, with a heart of gold and a fiery spirit. You're smarter than anyone I know; you challenge me, keep me on my toes. Whenever you walk into a room, my heart speeds up and I feel like I can't breathe.

When I saw you with Jacob that night on the stairs, it killed me. I couldn't stand the thought of anyone but me touching you, comforting you, loving you. I know that was selfish of me, but that's how I felt. How I _still _feel. That was when I finally realized that you're _it_ for me Bells. I'm just sorry that it took me so long to find the courage to tell you."

I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply. It was now or never; both feet in together or not at all. I decided to jump. I opened my eyes, pulling my hands from his grasp and cupping his face, steeling myself to voice what was in my heart.

"Eddie, you have _always_ been the one I wanted. Always. Since the first day I laid eyes on you, you have taken my breath away. When we became friends, I'd thought I was the luckiest person in the world. You were as beautiful on the inside as you were on the outside; you still are. It broke my heart watching you these last few years, being someone who was less than I knew you were. Even if you weren't here with me, I'm so happy that you're moving on, because you deserve _so_ much better."

"But I _am_ here…" he started to say.

I pressed a finger to his mouth to stop him.

"Edward, let me finish."

He gave me a grin. "Yes, ma'am."

"I'm happy that you're moving on… I'm fucking _elated_ that you want to do it with me!" Now it was my turn to smile. I had a head filled with eloquent words that I wanted to say, but none of them really seemed to matter. He was here and that was enough for me. I was jumping in, and the water was fine.

He tipped his head back and barked out a laugh. "_Fucking _elated, huh?" He was still laughing as he leaned in to kiss me. I held my breath, waiting for the moment when his lips brushed against mine. "Well, Bells, I'm fucking elated that I want to _'do it'_ with you, too."

I pulled my head back and opened my eyes. "That wasn't what I meant, Edward." I tried using my best chastising voice, but the reality was that it was true, despite the unintentional double entendre.

His smile didn't fade as he pressed his lips to mine once more.

XOXOXOXOX

"This one, get this one!"

Edward was handing me another necklace.

We were in the gift shop; true to his word, Edward had already picked out two books for Esme - one titled 'Heard Museum History and Collections' and one based on their perpetual exhibit titled 'Home: Native People in the Southwest'.

Next, we picked out a Kachina doll for me. Opting for the traditional style rather than the contemporary, I chose the 'Hair Hungry' Kachina since it reminded me of Edward and his untamed hair. He didn't think that was a good reason to get it, but I thought it was the best reason. The doll was nearly a foot tall; Edward had begun to realize that he was going to have to ship the books and doll back home since there wasn't any way they would fit on the plane. As that realization sunk in, Edward decided to embrace his inner shopping diva and buy everyone their Christmas gifts here.

"Edward," I said, as I took the necklace from his hands and handed it back to the sales clerk. "You don't have that inheritance just yet, you know."

"Bella, I'm fully aware of that, but I do have money in my own account. When I get back home this week, I'll be going to the bank with Mom and Dad to take care of the other stuff. So, stop worrying about me."

He asked for a pair of earrings that he thought Alice would like and after he nodded his approval of them, politely told the clerk to add it to the pile.

"Hey, Bella, what about you? What are you going to do about work? I'm assuming that HR wench is still riding you," he said, while looking around at the Folk Art wood carvings.

"Hey, what do you think about this one for Emmett? It's a…"

He turned it over to look at the bottom and read, "_Folk Art Bear Fetish_. Em has a thing for bears, plus the word 'fetish' is in it, which will make him think of sex." He laughed at his own joke and put it on the counter with his other items.

I felt panic rising in my chest. I hadn't even thought of work. There was no way I would be there tomorrow and probably not Tuesday, either. I grabbed my phone and shot off an email to Tanya and copied Mike, letting them both know what had happened, where I was, and that I would call tomorrow. I knew Tanya would find a way to use this against me, but I simply couldn't think about that now.

Once Edward said he was finally done, I looked at the pile on the counter. There were Kachina dolls for myself and Rose, the books for Esme, earrings for Alice, the wood carving for Emmett and sand paintings for Carlisle and Jasper, plus one for himself. The sales clerk got her manager to speak to Edward and by the time we were done, he had gotten a fifteen percent discount, and they were packing it all up and shipping it to Seattle for a nice fee.

We walked out of the museum and into the late afternoon Phoenix sun. I'd forgotten how much I loved the sun and warmth after living in Washington for the last decade. Edward held my right hand with his left, carrying a bag from the gift shop in his right. He had insisted on picking up a Kachina doll for Lillian, as a thank-you gift.

We got to the rental car; he opened the door for me and then went to put the bag into the trunk. After a moment, he got into the driver's side of the car.

"Bella, I had a great time with you today," he said, taking my left hand and holding it tightly.

"I had a great time with you, too, Edward."

He leaned in to kiss me and as he did so, he slipped something onto my wrist.

I pulled back and said, "What the…?"

Looking down, I saw a simple silver and turquoise bracelet on my left wrist. It was a narrow cuff style, only about a half-inch wide, with dragonflies stamped into the silver. The small turquoise stone sat slightly raised up from the center.

"Edward, you didn't need to do this," I said, as I looked at the bracelet, spinning it slightly on my arm.

"I know I didn't have to, I wanted to."

He cupped my face with his left hand and brought me into him. His lips were soft yet firm on mine and for a moment, I was overwhelmed by the electric tingling I felt from just that soft brush. When I felt his tongue gently swipe across my bottom lip, I couldn't help the moan it elicited from me.

Reaching up and threading my hands in his hair, I pulled him as close as I could as our tongues danced and twisted around together. His right hand reached around my head, cradling it, and his left moved down; first, massaging my breast and then rubbing my inner thigh. Moving my hips slightly so I could still kiss him, I parted my legs to give him better access.

"Edward," I breathed out, as he rubbed at the fabric that separated him from my hot and now rather moist sex. I pushed my hips forward slightly, rocking into his hand. Edward broke the kiss first, slowing his hand down and leaning his forehead to mine.

"Bella, I just… God, I want you so badly."

Our breathing was erratic, both of us sounding as if we had run a marathon.

"I want you, too, but I guess now really isn't the time or place," I said, kissing him chastely on the lips.

As if to emphasize the point, a family of four came walking by the car, laughing and talking, bringing us back to the reality that we were in a very public place in broad daylight.

Edward pulled back and looked at me. "Later, then?"

I grinned, it was a stupid grin, one of those 'I'm walking on air' grins, but I couldn't help it.

"Yes, later for sure." Once again, I felt those damned butterflies dancing inside me.

XOXOXOXOX

"Edward, I hope you like fried chicken," Lillian said from the kitchen.

We'd made it back to the house by five and Lillian was already hard at work with dinner. Apparently, she favors the cooking of Paula Deen.

"Well, I do like it, Lillian, although I can't say I've ever had it made from scratch." Edward rested his elbows on the kitchen island and watched as Lillian dredged the chicken pieces through egg and flour, dropping them into a pan of oil.

"Well, I'll tell you, there's nothing like it. I grew up in Savannah, you know, and my momma always made fried chicken on Sundays. So, I decided to make it for you kids. Plus, I thought a hearty mean would be good for all of us before we start moving things around to accommodate Phil and the wheelchair."

I looked around the kitchen for something to do. I wasn't accustomed to not being the one in front of the stove in this particular kitchen and, although it had been such a long time since I last cooked here, I felt out of place. Green beans were boiling in a pot with bacon slices on top; there were biscuits rising in the oven, with macaroni and cheese already made and set to the side.

"Lillian, is there anything that I can do to help you?" I asked.

"You can set the table and fix the drinks. Edward, are you a leg or a breast man?" Lillian asked over her shoulder, as she turned the pieces in the pan.

"I'm, uh…I'm sorry, what?" Edward stood straight up and seemed to pale. I, of course, knew what Lillian was asking, but it was fun to watch him squirm.

Lillian turned to look at him. "Chicken, son, chicken - white meat or dark? Good God, you look like your momma just caught you staring at a Playboy!"

Now I did laugh, quite loudly.

"Oh, uh, either is fine with me, and you need to hush up there, girl," Edward said, pointing a finger and looking at me.

I put my hands up and wiggled my fingers. "Ooh, big bad Edward is gonna get me for laughing at him!"

He came around the island and tried to grab me, but Lillian shut him down.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off and go set the table."

"See that, Edward? You got us into trouble," I said, grabbing plates from the cabinet and handing them to him.

"Lillian started it," he mumbled, walking out of the kitchen and into the dining room.

"I heard that," Lillian called after him, "and you'd better be careful there or you won't be getting any chocolate lava cake for dessert."

Edward didn't say another word.

XOXOXOXOX

"Lillian, I'll clean while you sit," I said, pushing her toward one of the bar stools as I started rinsing dishes to put them in the dishwasher. Edward was carrying the rest of the plates and bowls in from the dining room when his phone rang.

He put down the items that were in his hands and reached into his pocket for his phone.

"It's Mom, I better take it," he said, before stepping to the front of the house. I heard him say hello to Esme as he went out the front door.

I started packing up food when Lillian cleared her throat and began to speak. "Um, Bella, can I say something to you? About Edward?"

I looked up at her and the look on her face was that of maternal concern, the way older women sometimes are with younger ones they're fond of. I found it endearing.

"Sure, Lillian, what's up?"

She ran her hands in circles on the counter and stared at them a moment.

"I like him, he's a very nice young man and he seems to care for you very much," she began, picking at a spot on the counter that wasn't there.

"But…Phil gave me a little background on you two."

I stopped my scrubbing of plates and turned off the water.

"Oh, I see." Reaching for the dish towel, I dried my hands and leaned back against the counter.

"Well, I mean, what did he tell you?"

"Look, Bella, I know this is none of my business, I mean, who am I to you, really? Just the lady your step-dad is dating. However, like I said to you just yesterday, men don't travel over a thousand miles just to hand-deliver a phone. I just want to be sure that you're comfortable with his being here and what it means."

I looked at her for a moment, at first a little miffed that she would even bring this up to me, but then realizing she was doing it only out of concern for me.

"Lillian, he and I spoke about it today, at lunch. He seems very sincere and apologetic for how things have been between us. We both acknowledged our mistakes and where we went wrong. In fact, I think we've talked it to death, you know? I believe we're both in a place where we want to finally move forward, together."

I twisted the towel in my hand as I heard the front door open. Edward was still talking, but it sounded like his conversation was wrapping up.

Realizing our time alone was limited, Lillian smiled at me.

"OK, as long as you're sure; Phil would want to know that you were one hundred percent sure."

Of course he would. "Yes, Lillian, I'm very sure."

She looked to the side and saw that Edward was still talking. She turned back to me and said, "Well, then may I ask you a favor? Actually, two favors?"

"Of course, Lillian, anything." I meant that, too. I very much liked Lillian; I liked that she was worried about me and I liked that she was so in love with Phil.

"Well, first, promise me that you two don't waste another moment apart. Whatever it is you both need to do to move forward, do it and get it done. Bella, I am speaking from experience - you can't get wasted time back."

_Amen to that, sister. _

I knew all too well that she was right. "I agree with you, and that's our plan. So, what's the other thing?"

She sighed and looked down. "Would you mind staying here tonight? I'd just like it if we could go to the hospital together tomorrow morning. I know it seems silly to ask and I'm sure you'd rather be, well…_you _know…"

She let her thought trail off as I felt the blush creeping across my face. I _did_ know and I remembered where Edward and I had left off in the parking lot. But, I couldn't say no to her.

"It's OK, Lillian, I'll stay."

"Really? I know I'm asking a lot of you," she said, looking up, her tone letting me know that she was pleased with my decision to stay. She quickly darted her eyes to the side; Edward had stopped just short of the kitchen and was ending his call. Lillian dropped her voice a little and said, "'Cause you know, if I were younger, you couldn't stop me from hitting _that.._."

Edward chose that exact moment to walk back into the kitchen.

"Hitting what?" he asked, as he slid his phone back into his pocket.

I was too busy choking on my laughter to answer him. Thank God Lillian was the perfect actress, keeping her face straight. "Oh, nothing, just sharing some girl talk, you know," Lillian said to Edward coyly.

As he turned his back to her and came over to help me with the dishes, she gave me a sly wink and a smile.

XOXOXOXOX

After dinner, Edward and I sat together and went through some old photo albums that Lillian had gotten out for me. Phil had kept them safe inside a plastic box in the closet of the office. She had said Phil had been talking about shipping them to Seattle for me, and I told her I would love that.

"Your mom was beautiful, Bells."

I was snuggled into Edward's side with the blanket over my legs as he flipped pages. "Oh. My. God. Is that _you_? In a tutu?" His laughter rolled from him as if it had come straight from his belly. I smacked his leg and shushed him, it was getting late and Lillian had already gone to bed. We had a big day tomorrow, bringing Phil home.

"Yes," I huffed. "My mother insisted on putting me in dance classes when I was little. Then there were gymnastics and summer drama camps. I was ten before she realized I was never going to be coordinated or articulate enough for any of that."

The memory of my mom sitting through my fumbling lines and tripping over my toes brought a smile to my face. I ran my fingertip over a picture of my mom's face, bright and shining.

"She would have loved you, Edward. She would have kicked your ass if you'd ever hurt me, but she would have loved you just the same."

He buried his nose in my hair, breathing out a sigh and kissing the top of my head.

"But I did hurt you, Bella. Every time I let you walk away or every time I left you for… well…anyway. For what it's worth, I'm sorry." He kissed my head again and laid his cheek on top of my head.

"Yeah, you're right, Renee would have surely kicked your ass by now," I chortled and I could feel his chest vibrate with laughter against me.

"So… it's late. Do you want to pack a bag?"

I had avoided this part of the evening as long as I could. After dinner, while moving furniture and then through dessert, I refused to talk about 'later tonight'. I didn't want to disappoint Edward with my decision to stay, even though it was at Lillian's request. But, of course, I couldn't put it off any longer.

Sitting up, I turned to face him. "Edward, I need to stay here tonight." His face fell and I placed my hand on his leg in an attempt to reassure him.

"Hey, I'm not changing my mind about how I feel about you… and us. It's just that Lillian asked if I would stay the night and ride with her to the hospital in the morning. It seemed so important to her that I just couldn't say no to her. I'm sorry."

He gave me that sweet, crooked smile.

"Bella, I honestly wouldn't expect any less of you. I'm fine with it as long as it's what _you_ want to do. I mean…sure, I'm a little disappointed. After all, I was hoping to spend the night with you wrapped in my arms, but I guess we have plenty of other nights in our future."

"Yes, we do," I said, the sudden grin on my face nearly making my cheeks hurt.

But just as suddenly, the thought of not being with him tonight made me feel empty. I remembered my promise to Lillian and knew I wouldn't break it. There wouldn't be any more wasted time between Edward and me.

"Screw it. Stay Edward. Will you stay tonight, with me here?"

"Are you sure? I mean, I understand if you think I should go."

"No, Edward," I stood and held my hand out to him. He took it and I tugged so he would stand up. "I want you to stay. We need to be quiet, though, and no sex! And you really might need to leave very early in the morning, before Lillian gets up because I'm not sure how she would feel about you staying and…"

My rambling was cut off with a kiss. Edward pulled back, looking at me he said, "I agree to all of your conditions, now let's go to bed."

And then he kissed me again before leading me down the hall to the bedroom.

* * *

**A/N - Just like a couple of teenagers, sneaking around.  
Pretty soon, RL will be catching up with these two, they won't be able to put it off much longer. :D**

**So, as always, my soul belongs to mauigirl60; her patience with me is astounding. Seriously, you should see how much of a mess this stuff is before she gets it... Oh, wait, you have.  
Oh well - I will never stop singing her praises.  
And a special shout out to Sparklingwand for talking me down from the ledge... REPEATEDLY.**

**Thanks for reading - please leave me a kind word or two, or just a "Hello"... you know, whatevs ;-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Moving it along...  
SM owns all things Twilighty - I own neurotic Bella... ;-)**

Chapter 17

_Mmmm… comfy…and warm…_

I slowly blinked my eyes open, coming out of the best sleep I'd had in days. I was warm and snuggly. I suddenly remember why - Edward.

Once again, he was curled around me, snoring lightly. True to his word, we didn't have sex last night. However, that didn't stop him from capturing my moans in a deep kiss as he brought me to climax with his beautifully long fingers.

Twice.

I stretched out as best as I could without waking the man to my left, he was currently using me as a full body pillow. He shifted and mumbled something, then grabbed me a little tighter which caused me to let out a giggling squeak. I looked at him in the half-light of early morning and decided it was something I would never get tired of doing.

_Morning! Shit!_

I quickly sat up and looked over at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was just after seven and Lillian had said she wanted to leave for the hospital by eight, eight-thirty at the latest. Lillian, of course, had no idea Edward had spent the night. Although I was somewhat sure she wouldn't mind, I felt uncomfortable at the idea of him being here, nonetheless.

I listened intently and didn't hear any noise from the rest of the house, hoping it was because Lillian had overslept as well.

"Edward!" I whisper-yelled, shaking him. I needed him to get up and out of here, now.

"Bella…." He rolled to his back, throwing his arm over his eyes. "If you want morning sex, there _is_ a better way to ask for it."

"Edward! As nice as that thought is, you have to go!" I was pushing against him in an attempt to roll him from the bed. I would have preferred sitting here and looking at his bare, toned chest for a while, but there was no time for that now. "Come on, Edward, I'm serious! Lillian doesn't know you stayed and I don't want to make her mad!"

He looked at me from under his arm before he replied, "I think the only thing that would make her mad would be that you got to 'hit this' and she didn't." I rolled my eyes at him. I knew I should never have told him what Lillian said the night before; there would be no stopping his ego today.

"Edward, let me remind you, I didn't do any 'hitting' last night. I believe I was on the 'receiving' end."

"True," he said, as he sat up and reached over, wrapping an arm around me, "we could remedy that right now. Morning sex is always the best." He started kissing my neck.

I wanted to tell him that I wouldn't know about morning sex since I hadn't had it in forever; and why? That was because he had always run out the door the morning after. But, I thought better of it and kept my mouth shut; no reason to rehash the past. I leaned back from him and stumbled my way off the bed. Clad in my pajamas, I began gathering his clothes from the floor and threw them onto the bed in his general direction.

"I'm serious, Edward, she'll be up any moment. Please, I really need you to leave."

Huffing, he got up from the bed and stretched his arms over his head. I averted my eyes from the rather large bulge in his boxer briefs.

"Here, put your pants on," I said, as I lifted them off the bed, tossing them at him. I kept my eyes on anything else but him.

"Jeez, Bells, I gotta pee first. There's an order to the morning routine, even if I'm being made to do the walk of shame."

With that, he walked over to me, kissed my head, then turned for the bedroom door. He cracked it open and looked down the hall. Deciding it was all clear, he scooted out and into the bathroom.

A few minutes later, he was back and dressed. I had his shoes and socks in my hands and pressed them into his chest. "You can put these on in the car. Here are your keys and your phone."

I had him by the arm and tiptoed into the hallway. The house seemed still and quiet and the front door never seemed so far away. We quietly sneaked down the hall and made it to the entryway. I opened the front door, slowly so it wouldn't creak, and started prodding Edward to go through. He chuckled softly and turned to kiss me on the forehead.

"Call me when you're on your way back home later, I'll meet you here."

"Fine, now go!" We were nearly home-free. Nearly.

"Good morning Edward, Bella."

Edward had just stepped over the threshold when we heard Lillian behind us. We both froze and I could feel the heat of embarrassment washing over me. I watched Edward as he straightened his shoulders and turned back toward the house.

"Good morning, Lillian. Did you sleep well?"

I held my breath and closed my eyes.

"Not nearly as well as the two of you, I bet, but thanks for asking. Now, get back in here, I was about to make some breakfast. Come on, Bella, you too."

My eyes still pinched shut, I didn't dare open them to look at Lillian, but I heard the levity in her voice and the patter of her steps as she walked into the kitchen.

When I opened my eyes and looked at Edward, he was bent over, trying to contain his laughter.

"Oh, jeez!" He stood, shoes still wrapped in one arm, while the other hand pointed at me. "You should see your face! I don't think I have ever seen you that particular shade of... what is that? That's not just red, I think it's scarlet!"

He gently poked my cheek with his finger. I batted his hand away and gave him my sternest look, which only made him guffaw more loudly.

"Fuck you," I grumbled, grabbing his arm to pull him all the way back inside the house so I could shut the door.

"Oooh, such language from a lady," he said, mock-teasing me as he headed toward the kitchen. He stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. "Come on, Bella, breakfast awaits."

XOXOXOXOX

"Now, Edward, go slow coming through the door. You're going to have to tilt the chair back to get it over the threshold."

Lillian guided Edward through the front door. Phil was in the wheelchair and looked quite put out. He was apparently pissed that he couldn't walk into his own home.

After breakfast, Lillian and I had gotten ready to head to the hospital. Edward had gone back to the hotel, got cleaned up and then met us back at the house where he was put on 'Phil duty'. Edward, Lillian had decided, was stronger and more capable of wheeling Phil into the house and getting him settled into the recliner in the master bedroom.

"Bella, be sure that there's enough room in front of the chair. I know we moved stuff last night, but just be sure for me, okay?" Lillian was fretting over getting Phil through the house. The doctor said that it wouldn't be easy on Phil at first and he would have preferred keeping him in the hospital longer, but Phil flatly refused. He said he wanted to be at home, in his own surroundings, where he could enjoy his own television and his girlfriend's food. So, Lillian had arranged for a nurse to come and stay with him during the day while she worked - a large, male nurse.

They got Phil settled into his recliner, which was positioned between the bed and the bathroom, in perfect view of the flat-screen television on the wall. Phil was demanding his remote as Lillian came into the room with a glass of water and his pain meds.

"Lil, don't make me take those damned things. They make me feel funny and I start babbling like an idiot before I fall asleep like a comatose goob."

"Sorry, hun, but it's a must. The doctor said so."

She watched as he took the pills, put them in his mouth, then chased them down with water. He set the glass down on the small table to his left.

"Bella," Lillian said, turning toward me, "come help me get some sandwiches together for lunch. Edward, you can stay and keep Phil company, if that's all right."

I tensed a little at the idea of leaving those two alone. If Phil was right, and he did start talking crazy once the meds set in, there was no telling what he would say to Edward.

"Sure, Lillian," Edward said, as he looked around the room. I knew he was trying to decide where to sit; bed or floor?

"All right, Edward, hop up on that bed and get settled in. Do you watch the History Channel, son?"

Edward shifted the pillows so they would be behind his back and kicked off his shoes, before climbing up to recline on the bed. "No sir, can't say that I usually watch the History Channel."

"Well, you're going to learn something today. This is better for you than that sports stuff that Charles always watches."

I shook my head at Phil calling my dad 'Charles'. He actually liked my dad, but he liked to rib him any chance he could; or me about him, just for fun. I realized, then, that he was a lot like another male jokester in my life. That, except for Phil's dislike of all things sports, he and Emmett probably had a lot in common.

"Yeah," Edward said, "Charlie is strictly a sports guy, all the way."

"Well, any man can watch sports. It takes an _educated_ man to appreciate everything the History Channel has to offer. For instance, did you know that George Washington had no formal education and was the only president elected unanimously?"

Edward stole a glance at me and smiled. Actually, he had known that, as he'd been quite good at history in school.

"You know, Phil, I didn't know that bit of information. That's pretty cool." He looked back at me and winked. I relaxed a bit as I turned and walked from the bedroom.

Lillian was already in the kitchen, bread and cold cuts out on the counter, as I walked in to join her. There was a huge variety of meats and cheeses spread out along with bottles of mayonnaise and mustard.

"Gee, Lillian, do you think you have enough there?" I asked amusedly.

"I know, it's overkill, but I like having variety, especially with guests in the house. By the way, Bella, what are your plans? When do you have to be back at work? Not that I'm trying to get rid of you, or anything."

I took some plates from the cupboard as she laid slices of bread out on the cutting board. "Well, I was going to call in today. I figured if you needed me, I would stay through the week."

Lillian continued assembling sandwiches as I looked on; she had a system I didn't want to disturb.

"Well, I have the nurse coming in starting Thursday, just to get Phil acclimated. I'm off the rest of the week though. I just hate for you to miss work if you really don't have to; but it's your decision."

She placed a sandwich each onto two plates, slicing them in half. "You can take these back to the men. If you want, grab Edward a bottled water from the fridge."

I took the water from the refrigerator, tucking it under my arm, as I grabbed the plates and headed back to the bedroom. I stopped short as I realized the television had been turned down and Phil was talking to Edward.

"Now, Edward, I want to make sure we're straight. I don't need you to lay all your plans out for me, but I need to know that you really do have the best of intentions for my girl. You may think you only have to be scared of Charlie - he's the obvious threat - but I can be scarier. Trust me."

The thought of Phil being scary nearly made me choke out a laugh, but I held it in, so I could hear Edward's response.

"Phil, as I told you the other day, Bella is very important to me. I've wasted a lot of time, not telling her that when I should have, and I screwed a lot of shi… I mean _stuff_ up. But, I'm trying to set it straight. I want to make a life with her, if she'll have me.

"Does _she_ know that?"

"I think so. I didn't want to scare her. In the past, anytime I wanted things to become more serious between us, she would always pull away."

"Yeah, that's the overtly rational 'Charles Swan' side of her. She needs to embrace her mother's carefree personality and just learn to go with how she feels. So, do you have future plans? I know you were working for your ex's father, right?"

There was a pause then. I was sure Edward was uncomfortable talking about this, but to be honest, his talking to Phil was going to be a lot easier than dealing with Charlie. I heard him blow out a breath.

"Well, I'm resigning as soon as we get back to Seattle. I have a few job options that I'd like to talk over with Bella, see what she thinks of them. If she's going to be my future then she has the right to have a say in it, you know?"

"I do. That's all well and good, but I guess, Edward, what I want to know is if you love my step-daughter?"

I leaned forward, ears trained to listen for the next thing out of Edward's mouth. But at that moment, the fucking water bottle, which had been under my arm gathering moisture, slipped. At the risk of losing a sandwich, I decided to let the bottle fall and kept a grip on the plates. The bottle hit the floor and rolled into the bedroom.

"Bells?" I heard Edward, his voice cracked slightly.

_Damn__ it; fuck!_

I knew that if I walked in there now, the color of my face would give me away. Since there wasn't any way to avoid entering the room, I hoped that they would just assume my embarrassment was due to the dropped bottle.

"Hey, yeah, just coming in with your lunches. Stupid water bottle, slipped from under my arm." I stepped through the doorway.

Edward was already up from the bed and halfway to the door to meet me. He bent down to get the bottle from where it had rolled and then looked up at me. He gave me that damned half-grin. He knew I'd overheard part, if not all, of their conversation.

"So, anyway, here's your lunch. Phil, you need to eat before you get too groggy, OK?" I handed over their plates before scurrying from the room.

In an attempt to not replay their conversation in my head, I decided to call work. Since I was already tortured by not hearing Edward's response as to whether or not he loved me, I decided I should torment my fragile ego a little more by talking to Tanya. Clearly, I was a glutton for punishment. I took my phone from my bag and went out the front door. Scrolling to the number for work, I pressed _Send._

The line rang three times before Lauren answered, _"Newton Publishing. How may I direct your call?"_

"Hey, Lauren, this is Bella."

"_Bella! Hey! Where are you? Tanya is pissed as shit and said that if you call, she doesn't want to talk to you."_

_Fucking lovely…_ I blew out the breath I had unknowingly been holding, "Are you kidding me, Lauren? I sent an email to her explaining what had happened. My step-dad was in a bad car accident. I had to come." I avoided whining, although I was close.

"_I know, Bella. She's just being a bitch. Like I said, when someone gets on her radar, she makes their life miserable. You, my friend, are on her radar."_

_Fuck my life… _

"Well, I would feel better if I at least left a message on her voicemail. Oh, and can you do me a favor?"

"_Of course!"_

"Can you please also take a message that I called _and _send her an email letting her know I called and will be leaving a message on her voicemail? Plus, give her my number to call me back. And can you blind copy me on it?"

"_Oh, I'll do you one better. When I send important messages, I always send them with a read receipt, so I am notified when the email is opened. I'll do that and print everything for you."_

I appreciated Lauren's willingness to help me, but it wasn't like we had ever been very close. As if reading my mind, Lauren spoke again.

"_Look, Bella, I know we're only work friends and all, but you did me a great service by introducing me to Embry and inviting me along to lunch."_

"Really? So things are going well?"

"_Very. We're together almost every night. I've practically moved in! I know it's fast, barely a week, but sometimes you just _know_, you know? And when you do, you just have to take a leap of faith. Just jump in!"_

Well, wasn't that just something? Here I was, worrying about moving too fast with a man that I had known and loved for a decade, while Lauren was practically moved in with a guy she's only known for a week. I needed to loosen up a bit.

"Well, Lauren, I'm really happy for you."

I truly was. However, that didn't stop me from feeling like an idiot for having dragged my feet with Edward, when he was clearly there for me.

"_Well, thanks. Listen, I'm going to put you through and send the email. I'll have it for you whenever you get back, OK?"_

"Thanks, Lauren, see you soon."

With that, the line clicked and she put me through to Tanya's voicemail.

Once I was done with that, I went back in and joined Lillian at the breakfast bar in the kitchen. She had our sandwiches and a couple of diet sodas out and ready for us. She was just finishing up on her own phone call when I walked in and joined her.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, just eating and listening to the drone of the History Channel from the back of the house. It sounded like it was a show on one of the world wars.

"So, Bella, what did they say at work?"

Before I knew it, I had spilled everything to Lillian; how Mike was always flirting with me and how Tanya hated me for that. Also, how I thought she was targeting me but that I couldn't prove anything. Finally, I told her I knew I needed to find something else, and planned to do that once I was back at home. Lillian listened patiently as she ate, wiping her mouth on a napkin and then turning to face me.

"Bella, I think you're on the right path in looking for another job but I think you need to do something about that Tanya. She's a real bitch and shouldn't be allowed to treat people like that."

Her voice was gentle, but there was a fire in her eyes as she spoke that reminded me of my mom. It also reminded me of Esme Cullen, for that matter.

"I know, Lillian, I'm just not sure how to go about it, how to stop her. I just figured that it was easiest for me to quit and move on." Saying it made me feel like a coward. _Damn it._

"Well, I'm sure we can think of something. But, for now, just keep notes on everything. You'll know what to do when the time comes." With that, she patted my leg and got up from her stool to take her plate to the sink.

A few hours later, Phil was asleep and Edward and I were curled up on the couch. Lillian had gone into the bedroom to stay with Phil as he slept.

"So," Edward said, as he ran his fingers up and down my arm, "you called work? Any idea when you want to go home?" His question gave me no indication that he was ready to leave, he was clearly leaving that up to me.

"I'd like to talk to Phil and Lillian tomorrow about it. If you need to go back, I understand." I tried not to sound as disappointed as I felt at the thought of his leaving.

"Forget that, wherever you are, that's where I am."

A few minutes later, Lillian joined us in the family room.

"Listen you two, he's in and out of sleep. You can take off. I've got it under control for tonight."

Edward stood up. "Lillian, at least let me help you get him settled into bed and all. I would feel better doing that for you before we left."

It hadn't gotten past me that they were both talking as if I wasn't staying here tonight. Interesting how they'd assumed I would be going back with Edward.

"That would be great, Edward. A few more days and he should be able to put some weight on that casted leg, but your help now would be fantastic. Thanks."

He walked around me and made for the bedroom. I looked at Lillian and began to speak my protest of leaving her here with Phil, when she raised a hand and stopped me.

"Bella, he wouldn't want you taking care of him. He wants to be stronger than that in your eyes. Just go on with Edward tonight, I think you two need some time together anyway." She winked at me as she turned and left the room.

XOXOXOXOX

"After you, Madam." Edward held the door to his room open and I walked through, rolling my carry-on behind me. I had somehow been kicked out of Phil's home and sent here, to stay with Edward. He and Lillian together were a force to be reckoned with, and I didn't have the energy to argue.

I laid my suitcase on the luggage stand and unzipped it quickly.

"I need a shower," I stated matter-of-factly, pulling my pajamas and personal care items out. As I leaned over the bag, I felt his long fingers wrapping around my hips. Edward pressed himself into me.

"Want company?" He clearly did since he was already hard.

I let out a heavy sigh. "I guess," I said, with feigned indifference. I turned and walked to the bathroom, kicking my shoes into the corner as I went.

"Well, I mean, if you don't want me to join you, I guess that's OK," Edward grumbled from behind me.

Apparently I had been too convincing. I tossed my pajamas and toiletry bag onto the bathroom counter and then turned to look at him. Reaching for the hem of my shirt, I lifted it over my head, throwing it at him. It hit him in the face and he caught it as it fell.

"Come on, Cullen. Get your ass in here!"

After undressing ourselves, we climbed into the hot shower. It was filled with steam and the hot water pelted down onto me, doing wonders to loosen my tense shoulders. Between worrying about Phil and work, and my attempts to _not _overthink things with Edward, my muscles were carrying a lot of stress, most of it settling in my shoulders and at the base of my skull.

"Here, let me," Edward said, taking the bottle of shampoo from me. Putting a good amount into the palm of his hand, he shifted so he was behind me, keeping the spray directly on my chest and shoulders. I tilted my head back and out of the spray so he could work the shampoo into my scalp. I had already known he had magic fingers, but I had no idea they could feel this good. I let out a little moan as he continued massaging the soap into my head, running his fingers through my hair to separate the strands.

"Like that, do you?" he breathed into my ear, causing a shiver to run down my neck, spine and straight into my girl parts.

_Holy hell!_

"Ummm, yeah…" I managed to squeak out.

He let out a small chuckle, then said, "Turn around, let me rinse you."

I did as I was told and he guided my head under the shower spray. As he worked the soap out, I decided that this was one of the most non-sexual erotic moments of my life. A small voice in my head niggled at me, reminding me that if I would only just relax, this could be part of my daily life.

"OK. All done."

Edward led me out of the spray so he could tip his head into it. Before I had a chance to move, he was already scrubbing his own head with the shampoo. It was clear he was using more force on himself then he did with me. It was good to know that his gentle touch was reserved for me.

Of course, then I had to say something stupid, and opened my big mouth.

"Edward, is this something you and Jessica did a lot? You washing her hair and showering together?"

I regretted having asked it as soon as the words left my mouth. It seemed I was bound and determined to do everything I could to sabotage my own happiness. I was an idiot.

However, Edward didn't seem to mind the question, as he looked down at me. He grabbed the washcloth and soap, rubbing the soap into the fabric and creating a lather. He then began to scrub me down.

"Actually, Jessica never let me shower with her. She said it was her time to be alone with her thoughts. Whatever that shit meant, 'cause the girl never seemed to think of anything other than clothes and parties all the time. Not sure what would make her time in the shower any different."

He continued to scrub me, under my arms, across my chest, between my legs.

"But, you know, I'm sort of glad she never did; that way my only shower memories are with you."

He finished washing me and I moved to rinse off. I was still thinking of his admission, that he was happy making new memories with me.

It was my turn to wash him, but instead of using the washcloth, I decided to use my hands. Edward lifted a curious eyebrow to me as I soaped up my hands and then put the soap back on the shelf. I ran my hands over his shoulders and under his arms, then moved them to his chest. I had to soap my hands up a little more and as I did, Edward shifted so he was leaning slightly against the wall. My lathered hands continued their descent, down his toned abs and across his hips. I soon found them wrapped around his very hard cock, like they had moved there of their own free will. My eyes were focused on his manhood as I stroked it a few times with one hand, gently lathering and rolling his sack with the other.

"Have I ever told you how beautiful you are, Edward?"

Even _I _didn't recognize the husky voice that had just spilled from my lips.

I heard a soft snicker before he spoke. "Do you mean me, in general, or just my dick?"

His humored tone broke my focus on his appendage and I looked up to meet his eyes.

"Edward!" I smacked his belly with the hand that had been massaging him while the other stayed where it was, wrapped around him.

"Well, let's face it, Bells. You were looking at my cock like you were in love with it and were about to drop on one knee and propose marriage. I mean, feel free to drop to your knees, but I certainly hope you'd want to marry _all_ of me, not just my enormous and beautiful cock."

"Edward!"

That was all I could think of to say, because just the mention of the 'M' word had the butterflies dancing inside me again. It was a thought I hadn't allowed myself to entertain. I felt lightheaded as I allowed myself to open up the dreams I had once kept locked inside my heart.

"Bella… um… _Bells_?"

I gathered my wits and met his gaze. "Yeah?"

"Look, I like your hand on me and all, but you're squeezing a little hard there."

"Oh, shit!"

I let go of him quickly, patting his chest, and apologized for hurting him.

He held my face and smiled. "You didn't hurt me, it was just uncomfortable."

He kissed me sweetly and then shifted to rinse off under the water.

"Done?" I asked as he stepped out of the stream.

"Done," he responded as he turned the water off.

I handed him a towel and then wrapped one around myself before I stepped out onto the bath mat. I unzipped my small bag, pulled out my brush and began the arduous task of brushing through my long mane.

_One of these days, _I thought_, I might just cut it all off_.

Edward was suddenly behind me, his hardness pressed into my backside, with his hands on the counter. I stopped brushing my hair and tilted my head to the side as he started kissing and nipping my shoulder, moving toward my neck. He grabbed my waist, spinning me so that I faced him, pulling the towel from around me. Before I could fully register what was happening, he had hoisted me onto to the countertop, his mouth on mine, hungry and hot.

I dropped the brush I was still holding, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and my legs around his hips, pulling him closer. I became very aware that the head of his cock was pushing slightly into me, but it wasn't enough.

"Edward," I rasped out between kisses, "please!"

I pulled him tighter and he leaned forward, sinking into me until my hips were flush with his. He stayed there, motionless for a moment, his eyes closed as he dropped his head to my shoulder. He filled me perfectly, the feeling was exquisite.

"God, Bella. Nothing has ever felt as good as being inside of you."

I appreciated the sentiment, I really did, but at that moment, that wasn't the Edward I wanted.

"Edward," my voice was husky with want, "fuck me. Fuck me now!"

He pulled his head back and looked into my eyes.

"Jesus, I love you, woman."

His mouth was back on mine. He leaned forward so he could brace his hands on the mirror behind me as I held onto his shoulders. He pounded hard and fiercely into me, the sounds of skin slapping and our collective moans filling the bathroom. When he was getting close, he moved one hand from the mirror and slipped it between us. He found my clit and began to rub hard fast circles into it, working me even closer to my own release.

"With me, Bella," he growled out as he bit and sucked my shoulder, my head thrown back allowing him to lead the push and pull of our bodies. "Come with me!"

My breath hitched as the muscles low in my belly tightened.

"Oh, Edward! Fuck…yes!" was all I could get out before we both gasped out each other's name with the ferocity of our mutual release.

His arms wrapped around me and pulled me close, both of us breathing hard and resting on the other's shoulder.

I let out a small giggle as I spoke into his shoulder. "This feels a little familiar; counter sex and all."

Edward stood to his full height, his semi-hard cock slipping from me as he pulled back slightly and looked down at me.

"Yeah, I guess it does. Except this time, I'm single, sober and plan to stay right next to you in the morning where I'll be making love to you over and over."

He leaned back in and grabbed me around my waist.

"Now, hold on."

He lifted me off the counter and carried me to the bed. As I laid back and closed my eyes, enjoying the feel of Edward's mouth on me, kissing and sucking from the neck down, I replayed his words from the bathroom in my head.

"…_but I certainly hope you'd want to marry all of me…"_

"_Jesus, I love you, woman."_

He'd said that he _loved_ me!

I felt a giggle bubble up from within chest at the exact same moment that Edward nestled his face in between my thighs. At that moment, I lost all thoughts of marriage and love and just fell into the abyss of pleasure brought to me by Edward Cullen.

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**A/N... SOOOOOOO... WEW!  
I told my lovely beta, mauigirl60, that I hate half a bag of Oreo's after finishing this chapter... ;-)**

**Next up? Heading home to Seattle soon!**

**OK... So... I am no good at pimping myself out... But I was Nom'ed for story of the week on The Lemonade Stand. It's cool just to be noticed, made me warm and fuzzy... But if you feel so inclined, head over there and vote for me. It closes tonight, I believe. If you don't, that's cool, too. I just appreciate all of you following me and enjoying my goofball of a story. **

**Next post? I HOPE by Sunday...  
Huggles... :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Posting Day! Thanks for reading...  
**

* * *

Chapter 18

I was dreaming of annoying mosquitoes buzzing in my ear. I wished they would stop. I smacked first at my ear and then the pillow in an effort to make it stop.

"Fucking ass…" I grumbled, as I blinked slowly into consciousness.

The buzzing had thankfully stopped. I looked to the clock on the bedside table, it read four-fifteen. "Shit," I mumbled, as I ran my free hand over my face. My other arm was trapped under my body, which was held in place by Edward, as he stretched across me. Once again, I was his full body pillow. We really needed to have a talk about that. I was all for cuddling, but it was now getting ridiculous.

The last time I had looked at the clock was around two. I felt the crimson blush heat up my chest and face as I thought back to what had kept us up so late – sex - lots and lots of sex.

Edward and I had never been shy when it came to sex, but the events of last night rivaled anything we'd ever done in the past. While there were no silk ties and slaps to the ass, there were definitely some new positions. I remembered quite vividly how, as I'd hovered over him, he'd taken me into his mouth as I'd taken him into mine. I had often rolled my eyes at Rose and Alice when they'd mentioned that erotic position and how fuck-awesome it was; now, I understood.

As I replayed each moment of our carnal escapade through my mind, natured decided it was a good time to call. I wiggled myself free of the naked man snoring on top of me and sat on the side of the bed. I rolled my shoulders and then my head from side to side; my body was aching and sore, but in the most delicious of ways. As I stood, I heard the buzzing from my dream; but as I looked in the direction it came from, I also saw a glow. It was Edward's phone. He had placed it on the dresser when we came in last night, putting it on silent so that it vibrated with each call or text. I glanced at him, asleep in the bed, and considered waking him. After all, if someone was trying to get hold of him at this time of night - or morning - it must be important. He looked so damned peaceful, so I made the quick decision to check the screen, just to be sure it wasn't family.

I went to the phone as it buzzed again. The screen lit up and I could see it was full of missed calls and texts, most of them were from…"Jessica".

My stomach twisted into a knot as I stared at the screen, I didn't have to unlock it to see the first line of what each one read.

**Edward, plz call me…**

**Edward damn it call me…**

**Fucking bastard call me…**

There were a few missed calls from her and then another Seattle-based number in between the texts.

The general tone of what I read was nasty and unhappy. Rationally, I knew that Edward was done with her and that his not telling me of her calls or texts was to avoid upsetting me while I was with Phil. However, there was that small voice whispering in my ear that I would never be quite good enough for him, and that he would again leave me to go back to her.

Regardless, I felt as if I had violated his personal space by just looking at the screen. So, as it went black again, I put it back down. I made my way to the bathroom, proud that I had successfully avoided tripping over our clothes which were strewn across the floor. I stepped in, closing the door behind me and flipping on the light.

I took care of my business as my eyes adjusted to the brightness, and then stood at the sink to wash up. I looked like a complete mess, so I decided to brush my hair. With that done, I brushed my teeth and then applied deodorant and some lotion. I was exhausted, but was doing my best to avoid climbing back into that bed. The seed of doubt had been planted and it was taking hold rather quickly.

Once I'd done everything I could, short of showering or painting my nails, I turned out the light and opened the door. Complete blackness surrounded me and I said a silent prayer that I wouldn't break my ever-loving neck on the way back into the room. As I stepped forward, I slammed into something hard.

"Ooof! Damn it," I growled out, and heard Edward chuckle.

"You okay there, Ginger?" His hands were on my hips and, while I wanted to be irritated with him, I couldn't help the instant heat that flashed between my thighs at the feel of his skin on mine.

"Ginger?" I questioned. I was able to make out his form now that my eyes had adjusted to the darkened room. I had run smack into his chest, and he was now grinning down at me.

"Yeah, Ginger Rogers, you know, 'cause you're so light on your feet."

"Har, har, har…smartass!" My tone was sarcastic as I slapped his chest. He stepped around me and into the bathroom.

"Bella," he said, before he closed the door, "don't you dare think of putting any clothes on. I'm nowhere near done with you." And, with that, the door clicked shut and the light flipped on. I made my way back to the bed and climbed in, pulling the covers around me up to my armpits. I had a decision to make; either let what I saw sit and fester, or mention it to Edward and see what he said. Since we'd been making such progress in the honesty department these last few days, I decided that I would go that route, or close to it, part of me still whispering in my ear: _He'll never tell you the truth; he's just going back to her._

The door opened and briefly flooded the space with light before Edward turned it off. "Well, that was a bad idea, now I can't see shit."

As if to emphasize it, he tripped over something on the floor and landed on the foot of the bed. "Damn it," he mumbled. I giggled as I felt him floundering to right himself. At that moment, his phone buzzed again. He stilled where he was before he let out a long sigh.

"Fuck," He mumbled and got up, heading to grab the offensive piece of electronics.

He picked it up and started scrolling. "Jessica has been calling and texting me," he said, his tone filled with irritation. I could see his face illuminated in the glow of the screen, his eyebrows pulled together.

"Bella, it's ridiculous, like she thinks I would ever want her back, especially when I have all I want right here."

At his words, the knot in my stomach relaxed a little. He came back to the bed, phone in hand.

"Look, she's fucking insane," he said, lying next to me as he handed me his phone, willingly allowing me to read his text messages.

"Have you called or texted her?" I could see that there were no responses from him, just her messages of hate and desperation to him.

"Hell-Fucking-No. OK, well, that's not true. I did text her once to tell her to stop texting me. I want to block her number, but Jazz said I should wait until I'm back and have truly severed all ties. Plus, she's sent texts threatening to vandalize the house, so if it happens, we have some proof for pressing charges. Until then, I'm just stuck fielding calls and texts from the Psycho Bitch from Hell."

"I see," I said, relief flooding through me.

"Edward, um, I sort of knew that she had called and texted."

He turned to put the phone on the bedside table and then was back next to me, settled onto his elbow.

"Really?" he asked, nonchalantly.

I was surprised; I thought he would have been more upset at my having looked at his phone.

"Well, the buzzing woke me and then I thought I should look, to make sure it wasn't your mom or Alice or Emmett. You know, since it was the middle of the night and all…" I let my sentence trail off as I began to pick at the fabric covering my lap.

His hand was on mine, stilling it as he spoke, "Bella, I would have told you about her calls and shit, but you had so much going on with Phil. You didn't need to worry about my shit, too. Plus, to be totally honest, I was being selfish. I was enjoying my time with you and didn't want Jessica fucking it up. Again."

"Well, I just didn't want you to think I was prying."

"Prying? Look, my stuff is your stuff. If you need my phone, use it; look at all the texts and calls. I have nothing to hide from you. If you need money, take if from my wallet; then go through each pocket and slip of paper. Again, I have no need to hide anything. Bella, didn't you hear me last night? _I love you!_ What's mine is yours and every part of my life is open to you. No more secrets or lies or sneaking around; just you and me."

"Say it again," I whispered.

"What? No secrets or lies?"

"No, the other." I slid down in the bed a little, turning myself toward him, opening myself back up to him again.

"What's mine is yours?" I could hear the playfulness in his tone. I pushed his shoulder so he was lying on his back and moved to straddle him. His cock was growing harder under me as I leaned down, my face no more than an inch from his.

"No, Edward, the _other_ part. The part that you _love me_." I rubbed myself on his length. I was already wet for him and I slid easily along him. He grabbed my hips, his nails digging in as he pressed me harder to him.

"I love you, Bella." It came out a half-growl.

I nipped his neck. "Again." I continued rubbing myself on him, the friction driving both of us crazy. I was so close, but hadn't taken him into me yet.

"I love you, Isabella Swan!"

I licked his collarbone, biting and sucking. I knew that there would be marks there tomorrow and I didn't care. I was marking what was mine. _Mine!_

I reached between us and grabbed his shaft, sliding myself onto his full length before rolling my hips. Edward's fingers bit into my flesh harder and I knew he was also marking me as his.

"Say it again Edward. Say it like you mean it."

I had begun sliding up and down him, slowly, taking him in to the hilt and once there, rolling my hips again. His head tilted back as I moved my mouth to his ear, my tongue tracing his lobe before I nipped it, causing him to moan.

"_Edward…_" my tone had become more severe, demanding.

"I. Love. You. Isabella. Marie. Swan. Only you. Forever!"

That was all I needed. My mouth crashed onto his, tongues twisting in a desperate dance, teeth bumping and biting. Pulling back, I murmured, "I love you too, Edward. Always. Forever."

His breath hitched and his hands stilled my movements on him. Moving his hands up my back, he pulled my chest flush with his, rolling us so that he was on top of me.

"Say it again, Bella."

Now it was my turn to profess my love over and over, and I was glad to do it, today and always. _Forever._

"I love you, Edward."

There was a sudden stillness to the air around us before I felt the heat invade my body. It was as if I were on fire, every part of me. His hands found mine and our fingers weaved together as he stretched my arms over my head.

"Again, Bella."

He ever so slowly began sliding in and out of me. I was wet and hot; lifting my legs, I wrapped them around his hips.

"I. Love. You. Edward. Anthony. Cullen. Only you. Forever!"

I repeated the sentiment he had used, which seemed to please him as he picked up the pace. He remained flush with me, holding my hands over my head and kissing me until we were both at the brink of climax. Then he slipped his right hand between us and placed his thumb firmly on my clit, circling it only once before I exploded around him. A scream escaped my lips as electricity seemed to pour through my whole body.

His mouth was hard on mine in a deep kiss, silencing my moans; his body jerking and shuddering as he filled me.

We lay like that for a while, Edward's forehead on my shoulder, as we caught our breath. His face turned, and he breathed into my ear, "Can you feel it, Bells? The love between us, it's like a fire. Please tell me you feel it?" It was a plea, so sweet from his lips.

I turned my head toward his, our noses touching and for once, my words didn't fail me.

"I feel it, Eddie. I feel it with every fiber of my body. I love you."

I could feel his body relax and sensed the smile on his face.

"I love you too, Bells."

XOXOXOXOX

"So, Emmett and Jasper say she's desperate to get back in the house," Edward said, as we drove back to Phil's house. We had taken our time, sleeping in and taking a leisurely shower together before heading back to see my step-father.

"I thought she had gotten all her stuff already?"

Edward's brother and best friend had already met Jessica and some large moving men at the house so she could remove her clothing and the furniture that she was told she could take. Edward really wanted very little of the things they had purchased together and I was secretly thankful. The last thing I wanted was to be curled up on the sofa, watching a movie with the man I loved, wondering the whole time if he had fucked her there. Just the thought of it made me shudder.

"I thought she got everything, too; apparently not. But the guys are refusing to let her back in, at least until I get back." We were holding hands across the console and he gave mine a squeeze. "Speaking of which, when do you think you want to head back?"

I had been giving it some thought. We both had a lot to settle when we got back to Seattle, most of which would be less than pleasant.

I had tried calling Tanya again this morning, only to have Lauren tell me she wasn't taking my calls. Once again, I had left a voicemail and Lauren promised she would print out the email confirmations that she had given her my messages.

"Well, maybe tomorrow? Let's see how Phil is first, OK?"

"OK, love. No problem."

Once at Phil's, I was surprised to see him camped out on the sectional sofa in the family room.

"You know how stubborn he can be, Bella," Lillian said to me, as we fixed a light lunch for everyone. "He insisted that he wanted to sit in the family room today, that he wasn't an invalid."

"_Fucking_ invalid. I said _fucking_, if you're going to quote me, then quote me right," Phil shouted over his shoulder in mock frustration. I looked at Lillian and she was grinning.

"Listen here, Mister," she said in a stern voice that was betrayed by the playful glint to her eyes, "if you don't behave, I'll tell that big, burly man nurse that you can't make it to the bathroom in time and keep pissing yourself. I'm sure you'll just _love_ the catheter, oh, I mean the _fucking _catheter!"

Edward looked at me, eyes wide. If there was one thing I knew about men, it was that if you threatened one man's penis, you threatened them all. By the looks of it, Edward was imagining what the tube would feel like entering his own manhood. His face twisted in a grimace.

"Phil, dude, you _really_ need to apologize to her. Seriously."

"Fine. Sorry, Lil. I'll behave."

Phil and Edward both seemed to relax into the couch, their gazes settling on a program about the Great Wall of China.

Lillian and I carried the plates of chicken salad croissants to the guys and we all settled in to watch the program.

"Bella," Phil said, handing his empty plate to Lillian so she could put it on the table for him. "Don't be mad, but Lil and I purchased your tickets to go back home. You and Edward will be leaving this evening."

I was taken aback. "But Phil, why? Don't you need the help? I don't want to leave you if you need me here. Edward can go back home tonight, but I'll stay."

I could feel Edward's body tense up next to mine and I noticed Lillian glancing at him, a soft smile on her face.

"No, if one of you leaves, then you both will leave," Phil's tone was firm. "Look, kid, I appreciate that you came, more than you could ever know. I'm glad you got to meet Lil, and I'm glad I got to meet Edward. But, we have the nurse starting this week and friends from work will be by to help out. I know if I let you stay, it would just be enabling you to avoid the issues you have to settle at home." The look in his eyes was unyielding. "Tell me I'm wrong."

I slumped back into Edward's side. I knew Phil was right. Part of me wanted to be here, just to make up lost time with him. But another part of me wanted to avoid returning home and having to deal with decisions that were sure to change my life drastically.

Edward wrapped his arm around me and squeezed.

"Phil, I appreciate your buying the tickets for us, but I'd like to pay you back."

"No can do, Ed, my boy, it's already been done. I just need you to escort my girl here back to her home so she can move on with her life." He looked up at Edward, gaze frozen, as if he was attempting to convey a whole litany in that one look. "So you can _both _move on."

XOXOXOXOX

At eight that evening, our plane landed in Seattle.

I had been sad to say goodbye to Phil and Lillian, but we made promises to see each other after the first of the year. Phil had talked to me alone before we left and told me how much he loved Lillian. He said that he'd never thought he could feel that amount of love and adoration for anyone but my mom. But fate had given him a second chance and he was taking it; he wanted to ask her to marry him and he wanted my approval. I gave it to him without a second thought. If I had to choose anyone for Phil, it would have been Lillian.

Edward and I had informed our families that we were heading home before we left. We had given them the flight number and arrival time so when I turned my phone back on after disembarking, I was a little surprised at the amount of missed calls I had received. I tensed as I saw they were all from work.

"Shit," I mumbled, as Edward led me to his car, "I have missed calls from work, I can only assume it was Tanya."

We got to his car and he placed both of our bags into the trunk. "No messages?" he asked.

"None. I know I have to deal with her, but I just hate the idea of it. Why couldn't a giant sinkhole open up under her as she slept and swallow her whole? That would be fantastic, than I wouldn't have to deal with her."

Edward was holding the door open for me as I climbed into the sports car.

As I waited for him to climb in, I ran my hands along the seats and the dash. It was a beautiful car. Edward opened his door and elegantly folded himself into the driver's seat. He had the seat as far back as it would go, to make room for his long legs. I smiled at the thought of those long, muscular legs.

"Why, Isabella, are you eyeing me?" He started the car and then grinned over at me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "So what if I am? You're lovely to look at, I could do it all day."

"Really?" he asked coyly, as we headed back to my apartment.

"Really," I stated matter-of-factly, watching the street lights pass us by.

"Naked?" His hand was on my thigh, rubbing it gently.

"Of course. Gladly."

I kept my eyes glued to the scenery passing outside the window, but wasn't really paying attention. Instead, I could only focus on the fluttering inside me, but this time, it was lower than its usual location in my belly. Those damned butterflies had moved down to my sex and the stirring they were causing between my thighs was beginning to make me squirm.

"Hmmm…" he hummed, his hand moving to the top of my thigh. I instinctively parted them, giving him more room to move his hand.

"I like looking at you, too - naked."

It wasn't much longer before we were pulling up to the house. Rose and Emmett met us on the porch and asked about Phil. Em and Edward went up the inside stairs to drop off our bags as Rose led me into the kitchen. She handed me a glass of wine, while she sipped from a bottle of water.

"So?" Rose sat down at the small kitchen table. It seemed we were about to have a 'talk'. The guys had come back down the stairs and Emmett pulled Edward into the small room he used for his video games. He had gotten some new zombie killing game and wanted his younger brother to see it; we were going to be here a while.

"So," I responded, sipping my wine. Rose lifted a brow to me.

"Bella, are you really going to make me beg? Come on, spill."

I felt my face split into a huge grin on its own, the heat of my blush crawling up from my chest.

"Oh," Rose said, smiling back at me, "it went _that_ well, did it?"

I nodded and gulped down the rest of the wine while I considered how much to tell her. I knew she would get it out of me one way or another, so I decided to just spill it all.

"He told me he loved me, repeatedly. We had fantastic, mind-blowing sex, repeatedly. And, Phil told him not to break my heart or he would hurt him, repeatedly. All in all, it was a great time, except for Phil being in pieces."

"Clearly," Rose said, leaning forward, arms crossed in front of her on the table. "Did he say it first?"

I smiled as I remembered the first time he'd said it, when I had told him to fuck me. I looked down at my empty glass, knowing my cheeks matched the drop of red wine that was left at the very bottom.

"He did. In fact, he even said it a few times before I ever did."

"Really? Were you screwing when it happened?"

"Rose!"

"What? Look, I need a visual here, seriously. Besides, the color of your face gave it away. Where were you? In bed? Oh! At the hospital in one of _their_ beds?"

"Bathroom counter, at the hotel." There was no avoiding telling her. Besides, Edward was probably telling Emmett the same thing right now.

"Niicccce. Very hot." She nodded her approval.

Right about then, I heard Emmett hooting and hollering from the other room. "Way to go Ed, my man!" Yep, Edward had told him.

"Seems nothing is off limits with the two of you," I said, rising to get the bottle of wine and refilling my glass. I offered some to Rose. She shook her head. "Some of us have to work tomorrow." She smiled at me, holding up her bottled water.

"Yeah, I have to take care of that this week." I sat back across from her.

"Well, I say give it another day. Get yourself together, maybe talk to Jasper about it all. Everyone is coming here for dinner tomorrow night, anyway."

"Everyone? Carlisle and Esme, too?" This was interesting.

"Yeah, well, the bank is here, so now that you two are back, they're coming to spend the rest of the week and the weekend in town. Alice wants Esme to do a final walk-through of the venue with her and we were planning a small bridal shower for Saturday, if you're up to it?"

"Of course, but I haven't even gotten her anything yet." I hadn't even considered that, and I was her maid of honor.

"Well, they have everything they need, Alice just wanted us to have lunch together and then go shopping for the jewelry for the wedding. She said she doesn't want any gifts. But, if you want, I was thinking of getting her a gift card for that lingerie shop she loves, the one with the fifty dollar underwear. We can go in half together?"

"Sounds great to me, and easy. I like easy."

"That's what I hear," Emmett's booming voice declared as he stepped into the kitchen. "Great job, Swan-a-rilla, I knew you had it in you." He grinned at me as he pulled two bottles of beer from the fridge and left the room.

"Ass," I mumbled.

"Yeah, he does have a fine one," Rose said, admiring her husband's posterior as he left the room.

* * *

**A/N...  
So, I would like to say thanks to all that voted for me at TLS this last week - AND a big ol' southern "HEY Y'ALL!" to everyone that started reading my story this week as a result of finding me on TLS. Thanks for joining us!**

**Thanks to my lovely beta - mauigirl60 - without her help this would be a total mess of verb misusage and improper comma placement! **

**PLUS - I will be on a regular posting schedule now of Sundays... I KNOW... some of you like my randomness... LOL  
Well, look at it this way, now you know - beyond a shadow of a doubt - you will see an update once a week.  
(psst... keep it between us, but if I get to a chapter I think is REALLY good, I may throw in a mid-week update, just to stir things up...)**

**Ahhh... as always, I crack myself up.  
Thanks again for reading - leave some kind words.**

**I'm crawling back under my Edward Cullen fleece throw (compliments of the fantastic Bestie) and reading for the rest of the night.**

**See ya in a WEEK!**


	19. Chapter 19

**As always - don't own them; but they are certainly fun to play with!  
Thanks to my beta, prereader and all-a-round fantastic lady, mauigirl60... without whom none of this would be possible. OK, it might be possible, but it wouldn't look near as nice!**

* * *

Chapter 19

It was late in the afternoon on Wednesday and I was in Rose's kitchen helping her put the final touches on dinner. It was hard to believe that just a week ago, we were preparing for Thanksgiving. Tonight's dinner was planned for five o'clock and Rose had taken a half-day off so she could be here; apparently, the Cullens had some big things to talk about tonight.

With Edward back at home, Emmett had decided to take the rest of the week off so they could finish clearing out Edward's house. The guys had spent the better part of the day moving the items that Edward decided to keep either into storage or up to my place. Yes, we had decided that Edward would stay with me until he could make more permanent plans. It just made sense. To my great relief, he planned to sell or donate nearly everything in the house. In fact, the only furniture being kept was his bookshelves, the sofa he'd bought in college which was now kept in his home office, and the antique cabinet once owned by his Grandmother Cullen. He and Emmett joked about burning the bed and mattress. I offered to buy the gasoline. They didn't take me up on it; their loss.

While Rose and I prepared dinner, the two guys were back to shooting zombies and drinking beer; each given a three-beer limit until after dinner. Rose and I explained they should really be sober throughout the more serious part of the evening. They agreed only after we told them they could get shit-faced after everyone left.

_Boys._

"Tell me again what that Tanya bitch said?" Rose asked, as she transferred the potatoes she had boiled into a colander. She shook them over the sink before depositing the cooked cubes into a bowl and then mashed them until they were creamy.

"Well, it was an email, actually. You know I stayed home today; I was so exhausted and just needed the extra day. I tried calling her and again Lauren put me into her voicemail. Later on, Tanya sent an email to my work address and copied my home address, asking me to be sure I was in tomorrow morning." I was stirring the green beans and then turned back to the tossed salad I had started making.

"OK…first, it's understandable that you took the extra day, Bella. You had a long and stressful five days. But, she demanded that you be in the office tomorrow morning?"

"I wouldn't say _demanded,_ more like _strongly suggested_. She said I needed to be in her office at eight. I would assume I'll be getting another lecture and probably be written up over this. But I have proof that she received the email messages that I had been calling her. So, I have something to at least back me up," I said, with a shrug. I found the whole situation exhausting. "I guess I'll just have to see what happens."

"Well, I hate it for you. At least where I work, we all get along. The doctors are great and the nurses are a ton of fun. No office drama at all." Rose pulled the roast from the oven and placed the pan onto the counter.

"Well," I said, as I leaned around her arm and inhaled the delicious scent wafting up from the meat, "what are your plans now that Em is getting all that money? I know your long-term goals were to become a doctor. Are you going to go back to school?"

Rose glanced at me and then turned back to the potatoes, which were now sufficiently creamed. She shrugged as she said, "Well, we've been talking that through…" Before she could continue, the high-pitched voice of Alice filled the house.

"Hellloooooo, my lovelies! Where are you?" She sounded happier than normal, which seemed impossible, but it was true.

"Back here, Alice!" Rose yelled. I knew that our conversation about her and Em would be postponed until later since Hurricane Alice was about to blow through the kitchen in a matter of seconds.

"Ladies!" Sure enough, she flew in with an armload of papers and a bag filled with magazines and a large binder. "I have _got_ to show you the pictures the hotel sent me today! They did a mock-up of the head table and a guest table. It's GOR-GEOUS! Look!" She thrust her phone at me and started scrolling through the pictures. I was the best bridesmaid ever - smiling, nodding and feigning enthusiasm so believably that Alice hadn't noticed I'd gone back to tossing the salad and setting the table. She just followed me, babbling on about the tables.

"Where's Jasper?" I asked, hoping to get a reprieve from the wedding topic. She shoved her phone in the pocket of her skinny jeans and folded her arms across her chest. "Went straight to that damned video game room with the other two buffoons," she huffed. At that moment, we heard all three hollering from the back. Apparently, Edward had shot Emmett by accident.

"Damn it to fuck, Edward! My guy was right _there_! How in holy hell did you _shoot _him?" Emmett stormed into the kitchen from the hall, Edward on his tail and Jasper meandering behind. He kept a fair distance from the two brothers, which was for the best. When they argued, things could get physical, and anyone within arm's reach was fair game. We had all learned that the hard way in high school.

"How the hell was _I_ to know that you were going to move there?!" Edward stormed to the fridge and grabbed a beer. Rose stepped in behind him and took back the beer, pressing a canned soda into his hand instead. Edward looked at it with mild disgust but moved to the counter and popped it open. Rose then handed a can to Emmett as well. To Jasper, she handed the beer.

"Hey!" Em shouted, "why the fuck does _he_ get a beer while Ed and I have to drink stupid _soda_?!"

"Because," Rose snipped back, the spoon in her hand pointed directly at Emmett's face, "you two had a head-start on him, and if he has to put up with your bitchy little asses, he needs to catch up!"

"Hey!" Emmett pouted. "My ass isn't little."

Edward nearly spit his drink out. "No, brother, it's not…hell, nothing about you is! You're like a damned gorilla! A fucking Neanderthal man!" He laughed and began to mock Emmett. Holding his arms up at right angles to flex his muscles, Edward spoke in the dopey voice he would use anytime he'd felt the need to tease his older brother about his need to hit the gym, which was regularly. "My name Emmett, I have big muscles, you like my muscles? I gonna pump you up!"

Edward continued his teasing as he flexed and pranced around the kitchen. He got too close to Emmett, though, and found himself bent in half in a choke-hold.

"Let go, Emmett!" Edward managed to get out.

"You're a fucking asshole, Edward!" Emmett held on tightly to his younger brother. "Apologize for that shit!"

Edward gasped out, "Never!"

"_**Boys!**_"

Everyone in the room froze. You could have heard a pin drop. In fact, Edward and Emmett had stopped breathing altogether. They then quickly stood up straight, distancing themselves from each other as much as they could in the small kitchen.

"Please, watch your language. There is no need for you to talk to each other that way, especially in front of your sister and the other ladies."

Esme and Carlisle walked into the kitchen. I looked at the brothers, both of whom now looked sheepishly down at their feet. They looked like young boys, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, instead of the twenty-six and twenty-eight-year-old men they were.

"Yes, Mom," they said in unison.

"Now, I'd like you to apologize to the women," she said, standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips. Rose, Alice and I were all smiling at each other, trying our damnedest to keep from laughing. Esme had her hands on her narrow hips, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Well?" she asked.

Edward and Emmett looked up at each other and grinned before turning to their friend. "Sorry, Jasper!" they sang out together.

"I hope we didn't offend your precious little girly ears!" Emmett roared out, doubling over with laughter.

"Yeah, we should know better then to say such foul words in front of such an innocent!" Edward added.

Esme suddenly reached out and smacked both Emmett and Edward across their heads. She moved so quickly that I barely saw her do it, but there they both stood, holding their heads.

"Ow! Ma!" Emmett whined. Edward knew better than to say anything and kept his mouth shut.

Unable to hold our laughter back any longer, the kitchen was suddenly filled with loud guffawing from everyone, including the two holding their heads.

XOXOXOXOX

"Rose," Carlisle said, as he pushed his plate away from himself and leaned back in his chair. "You outdid yourself. That was stupendous."

"Yeah, Rosie, that was fu- … um, _fan_-tastic… really." Emmett shifted uncomfortably under the stare of his mother. The best part was that when Esme wasn't around her sons, she cursed all the time. It cracked me up.

"Well," Carlisle said, rubbing his hands together, "before the boys and I clean the table, let's take care of some business." I had always loved that about dinner with the Cullen family. If the girls cooked, the boys cleaned. Carlisle insisted upon it, saying if his wife could slave in the kitchen to make his meal, he could slave to clean up the mess; it was the least he could do.

Esme got up from the table and grabbed her purse from the kitchen table where she had left it earlier, then sat back down in her chair, to the left of her husband. She pulled out three envelopes and then set the bag down on the floor next to her.

"Now," she stated, "here's what we did. Today, we went to the bank and got three cashier's checks, one for each of you. It's one-fourth of each of your individual inheritance. The remaining money was split between two different accounts. One you are able to access now, and the other will gain interest and you'll be able to access in ten years."

"We considered putting it into retirement funds for each of you." Carlisle leaned onto the table, looking into the eyes of each of his children as he continued speaking. "It would ensure that you'd have something saved for yourselves when you got to that age. Then, we realized that we just had to trust each of you to do the right thing; we know you'll do what's best and not squander it foolishly."

"Damn," Emmett mumbled, "there goes the sixty-inch flat-screen." This time it was Rose who smacked him on the head.

"Listen, kids," Esme said, smiling at all of us. I knew when she'd said 'kids' that she'd meant every one of us at this table. She was speaking to her daughter-in-law, Rose; to her future son-in-law, Jasper; and to me, the girl she'd taken under her wing and treated like her own daughter. "You all can certainly have some fun with this money. Hell, go on a month-long trip to the Caribbean for all I care. Just don't piss it all away, okay?"

Emmett and Edward sat, gaping at their mom. They had never heard her say 'piss' or 'hell' before. I chortled next to Edward and patted his leg.

"Well, um…" Emmett said, looking to Rose. She was smiling at him and gave him the faintest nod of what looked like encouragement. "OK…well, I guess, well… _we_ guess, this is as good a time as any to let you know what our plans are."

Emmett tapped the envelope that was lying on the table. He pulled Rose into him, his large arm engulfing her petite shoulders.

"Well, you see, Rose and I…well, Rosie is… what I mean to say is…"

"Oh, fuck it! We're pregnant!" Rose shouted, as Emmett sat next to her, a look of shock on his face.

Esme, who was seated next to Rose, was the first one to pull her into a bear hug. "Ohhhh! I'm sooo happy for you two!" she said, as she rocked Rose in her arms. Alice was bouncing in her chair clapping and Edward beamed with joy for his brother and sister-in-law.

"Wait!" Emmett lifted both hands and brought them down loudly on the table. He looked around his wife at his mother. "She cussed! And, it was a bad one, too! The worst! Doesn't _she_ get a smack?"

With that, Esme reached around Rose and smacked poor Emmett again. "Of course she doesn't get smacked! She's carrying your _child,_ you damned idiot!" Esme scolded him, and then began to prattle on with Rose about due dates and nurseries.

Edward took my hand in his. Pulling me to him, he leaned into my ear and whispered, "One day, that will be us, Bells." My skin heated under his breath and a shiver flowed throughout my body. My eyes fluttered closed and I felt the smile forming on my lips.

"Whatever you're saying to Bellarina over there, knock it off, little bro. Rose and I, we need to ask you something." Everyone quieted down as Emmett took Rose's hand. She squeezed it and whispered, "Go on."

"See, well…first, we've decided that I'm going to be a stay-at-home dad, while Rose finishes school. It's going to be hard, but with the money, we can do it. She wants to be a doctor, and I want her to succeed at her dream. So, that brings us to my next point. I know you're planning to sell that house of yours, Edward. It's in a great neighborhood. Actually, um, the best elementary school in the county is just a few blocks away. And the yard is big - like _real_ big - big enough for a swingset and maybe a pool… heated, of course. And there's a ton of space in the house… extra bedrooms for a lot of kids…" Emmett babbled on, having a problem getting to the point.

Edward smiled at his brother. "Well, thanks for giving me all the great selling points of the house. Maybe I should keep it? Bella, what do you think?" He turned his gaze to me, a twinkle in his eye. I could tell he was kidding, but apparently Em couldn't. His eyebrows shot up into his hair line and he started sputtering.

"W-w-well… I mean, it's _nice_ but it isn't all _that_. I mean, if you wanted, we could take it off your hands. Just so you aren't stuck with it. It really is a piece of crap…"

"Calm down, Em!" Edward laughed. "Of course you and Rose can have it. I bought it for all the wrong reasons, but I always knew it would be a great family home. I would love it if you raised your family there."

"Really? Oh, man…Ed, thanks, but we're paying full price."

"No, you aren't. I will pay the mortgage down a third of the balance and then we will go to the bank and you two will refinance it in your names at that new balance. Consider it my house-warming gift to you." Edward's firm tone let Emmett know there would be no arguing with him on this; I knew that tone well. Apparently, so did Emmett because he just sat back in his chair and smiled.

For their part, Carlisle and Esme just watched their boys, looks of pride on their faces.

"Edward, that's very generous of you," Esme said to her younger son, then turned her gaze to Alice and Jasper. "What about you two? Any big plans?"

"Well," Alice said and sat up straighter, holding both of Jasper's hands in hers. She looked into his eyes and then at the rest of us around the table. "I will probably start that fashion line I've always wanted to create. With my connections through the personal shopping and such, I have plenty of places willing to carry my stuff. And Jasper…well, he was thinking of going into practice on his own. Where he can choose the types of clients he wants to take on; helping families and kids and stuff. He can do the type of work he wanted to as an attorney without having to make the choices based on the money."

"Well, that sounds great, you two," Carlisle said. He looked at Edward. "Son, any more thought on your plans, now?"

Edward chortled and leaned back in his chair. "Well, first I need to go into the office and quit. We'll see how that goes. Jessica has been acting a little crazy and I'm not sure what kind of fight she and her father may put up."

There was a sudden stillness to the room. I looked at the faces of my friends as they exchanged glances. "What's up?" I asked.

Alice cleared her throat. "Um, Edward, I think you may find it easier than you thought."

Edward leaned forward and looked at his sister. "What do you mean, Alice?"

Before Alice could continue, Esme was on her feet, clearing dishes. "Okay, everyone grab something and bring it to the kitchen. Edward, Bella, you two head into the living room. Alice, you can join them."

Edward and I shared a glance. We knew we were being separated from the rest of the family, but why? I was more than a little uncomfortable.

We sat side-by-side on the couch in the living room as Alice walked in from the other room, a box in her small hands. The box looked like a dress box, a little longer than a legal pad and slightly wider; it sat about six inches in height.

Alice sat on the table in front of the sofa, knee-to-knee with Edward, and placed the box on her lap. She ran her hands over it as she spoke. "Edward, Jasper and Emmett told me about the calls you were getting from Jessica. It seemed odd to me and I decided to go through the house myself, see if there was something that she'd forgotten to take with her. I found this box. It was in the guest bedroom closet, under the extra blankets and sheets, tucked in the corner. I guess in her rush to get out, she forgot about it." Alice exhaled a long breath. "Edward, you aren't going to like what you see in here, but I think you'll find that you'll have nothing to fear from Jessica or her dad after this." She passed the box to Edward.

He held it in his lap, hands hovering at the sides and shaking ever so slightly. He sucked in a breath and removed the lid, placing it on the floor. Alice had left and I realized the house had gotten very quiet. I looked up to see Esme standing across the small room, but no one else was around. Clearly, she wanted to stay close to her son, giving support through her presence. She stood quietly, and watched as Edward looked in the box.

I finally turned my eyes toward what was in there and saw that the box was divided into three sections. On the top of the middle section was a pink leather-bound book that appeared to be a small journal. There were white roses embossed into the cover making it look demure and innocent; something in my gut told me it was anything but that. Edward lifted it out and placed it on the table in front of us, saving it for last, I guessed.

Each section held a variety of items topped by a DVD. The DVD itself was in a clear plastic case which allowed us to see the flowing print on them; on each was a name and date, as well as hearts and flowers. The one in the left section had the name 'Paul' on it along with a date that was from about a year and a half ago. Edward removed the case and I took it from him so he could lift out what was under it; cards and folded papers, love notes written to Jessica. There were pictures as well. 'Paul' looked to be Native American and I recognized La Push in some of the photos. I idly wondered if Jake knew him. The pictures were innocent enough, Paul on a fallen tree then Jessica on the same tree, smiling, looking happy. But farther down there was an envelope. Edward's hand hesitated over it, but then he picked it up an opened it, removing more photos. These were much different pictures; I knew I should look away, but couldn't. It was all so surreal, like watching a horrible accident as it unfolded right in front of you.

There were pictures of Jessica and Paul naked on their own and with each other. A close up of his dick entering her, one of her mouth wrapped around it and another of it between her tits. The worst was one of them together. Paul was standing behind her, his hands squeezing her naked tits, her left arm thrown back, around his neck, while her right hand held the camera. They were standing in front of a mirror and you could see the room behind them; Edward and Jessica's room behind them. Jessica had been cheating on Edward long before we had ever been together; and she had been doing it in their home.

Edward's body stiffened next to me as he placed everything back in that section and moved to the middle one. The CD in this one was titled 'Laurent' and the date was just under a year ago. This time, the photos were of an exotic looking man, skin the color of chocolate and dreadlocks that hung past his shoulders. There were trinkets, a matchbook and a string of beads along with the cards and love notes and intimate pictures, just like the first section. Except this time, Jessica was spread-eagled on the dining room table, and bent over the desk that Edward used in his home office.

The last section held the CD entitled 'Bree' and it was dated for earlier this year. The pictures and note here were the same, and showed that Jessica did not discriminate in her partners.

"I recognize her;" Edward said softly. "Jessica had her to the house a couple of times while I was there. She said that Bree was on her own so she would spend the night when I would go out of town for work; sometimes they would have a girl's night and rent a suite uptown. Guess now I know why." He sounded deflated. Reaching for the journal he had previously put on the table, he thumbed through it and then placed it in the box.

"Well," he said, returning the lid to its place, "I guess the joke was on me all along. It looks like she was never faithful to me. It didn't really matter what I did or didn't do."

Alice came back into the room and kneeled at his feet. She took the box from him and laid it on the floor. Esme came over as well, sitting on the table in front of us.

"Edward," Alice spoke softly, the gentleness to her tone gave away the immense feeling of love she had for her brother. Once again, I found myself sending a prayer of thanks up for having been brought into this loving family at a time in my life when I needed love the most.

"Edward." She shook his leg, beckoning him to look at her. "Don't let her win. You have what you need to get them to leave you alone. You know how her father will feel about all of this."

Alice gestured toward the box as she continued to speak. "He'll be repulsed. His little girl being with men who weren't fine, upstanding white boys and then to throw in a _girl_! Stanley could never let anyone know about this, it would simply be too scandalous!"

Edward continued looking down at his lap, but his hand found mine. He twined our fingers together and began rubbing his thumb across the back of my hand in slow, soothing circles.

"Your sister is right, Edward. Jasper looked at those movies, and they were quite telling. Now, I know that you would never do this under normal circumstances, but… these aren't normal circumstances. You know what the Stanleys could do, how far their reach can go. I will not stand by and watch that man and his vile, bitch of a daughter ruin your life. You will take that box and use it as insurance to keep those horrid people from dragging you down." Esme spoke with authority as she reached out for his free hand. She took it in both of hers and sighed deeply before continuing to speak.

"Sweetheart, it's time to put this mess behind you. Let's be honest, this is the best way to get the Stanleys out of your life for good. No repercussions. Then you'll be completely free to move forward and make a new life for yourself, one that will bring you joy and happiness." She freed one of her hands from his and placed it under his chin, lifting his face so she could look into his eyes. "And Edward, for the love of God, please make that life with the woman sitting next to you; we all know Bella's the best thing for you."

Edward chuckled softly. "Thanks, Mom."

Then he turned to kiss me on the head.

XOXOXOXOX

The next day, I found myself sitting in the waiting area of the executive suites again. Tanya had told me to be here at eight. I was here just before eight and it was now almost eight-thirty.

"Isabella," her cold voice spoke from behind me. I rose and looked her in the eye. I wasn't going to back down today, although I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to do to stand my ground. After the revelation of 'Jessica's Little Box of Sin' last night (dubbed that by Rose and Alice, of course), Edward needed the advice of Jasper more than I did. So today, I found myself armed only with hospital information and plane tickets to prove where I'd been and why, along with my phone that held the email confirmations showing Tanya had gotten the emails I'd sent her. The problem I was faced with was doing my best to keep Lauren's name out of it, as I didn't want her in trouble as well.

I followed Tanya into her office and she closed the door behind us. I took the seat across from her as she sat facing me, palms down on her desk with a paper in front of her. She took a moment to look down at the paper, as if reading it over for the first time.

"Isabella, it looks like you were out of work the last three days. No call, no show - doesn't look too good." She looked up at me with a smirk.

_Fucking hell. Here we go…_

"Actually, Tanya, I _did_ call you, multiple times. I got your voicemail each time. It seemed you were always too busy to take my calls. As I'd stated in the voicemails, my step-father had been in a very bad car accident late Thanksgiving night. I went to Arizona to be with him. I have my tickets and information from his doctor confirming that's where I was." I held the information out to her; she waved her hand, dismissing it.

"Keep your so-called 'proof', Isabella. I know you sneaked away for a long holiday."

"Actually, Tanya, I wasn't on a holiday at all."

"Really?" She turned to her computer and hit a few keys. She grabbed her mouse and rolled over something before turning the monitor toward me. On the screen was a picture of Edward and me in the courtyard at the museum. He had taken it after we'd eaten our lunch and had apparently posted it on Facebook. I was tagged in it, but had paid little attention to the post with everything else that had been going on. "It says here that you and this _Edward_ checked in at the Heard Museum. Looks like a holiday to me." The smirk on her face was much larger now.

My blood was boiling, this was an invasion of privacy and I couldn't believe her audacity, stooping this low. Before I could stop myself, I stood and pointed a finger at Tanya, my voice shaking as I spoke.

"Listen here, Tanya, I _was_ in Phoenix to see my step-father. If you would bother to look at any of the information I brought in, you would see that I'm telling the truth. I had no idea that my _friend_ was going to come down there. He showed up on Saturday and if you need proof of _that_, I'm sure I can get it, too. Yes, we went to the museum while he was in town; for a break, to get away from the hospital. It got overwhelming sitting in those rooms all day and he was out of it most of the time."

My throat caught as I remembered the feeling I got every time I walked into that damned place.

"And I _know_ for a fact that you knew I was attempting to call you. I have proof that you got emails about my calls." I stopped suddenly, my heart racing. I didn't want to tell her it was Lauren who had given me the information I needed, but I was sure she'd figure it out.

Tanya was a lot of things; sadly, stupid was not one of them.

"Proof, you say?" She slowly stood. "That's interesting to hear, Isabella. I'd like to see this _proof_."

I swallowed hard. If I didn't show her, she would assume I was lying; but if I did, I would be breaking my promise to Lauren.

"Come on, _Bella_, let's see it." I wanted to desperately smack the smirk off her face.

"Gee, Tanya," I said, having to play along. I'd have to apologize to Lauren later. "Haven't you heard of a 'read receipt'? When you read an email, it notifies the sender that you got what they sent you. I'm sure Lauren was a smart-enough girl to send everything that way, it would be easy enough to check."

There; I was able to bring it up without telling her that Lauren provided me anything. I had to hope that this would work.

Tanya quirked a brow at me and sat back down. "OK, well, we'll just have to check on that. In the meantime, I will hold onto this." She picked up the paper from her desk that she'd been reading over, placing it in the drawer to her right. I was more certain now that it was, in fact, another written warning.

"I'll get back to you on this whole situation. You can go back to your desk now; I'll call you later when I have something more for you."

With that, I was effectively dismissed, without another word.

I got to my desk and powered up my computer.

I certainly hoped Edward's day was going better than mine.

* * *

**AN: Oooooooooo! Man that Tanya is a mean one! LOL  
OK, as much as I would love to see her hit by a bus, I just can't get that violent. But maybe I can arrange a little something for her.**

**And what about that Jessica! Who knew? OK, I did... what a skank. ;-)**

_**Special thanks to Reviewer/Reader Countrygirl91. She recommended the song "Amen" by Edens Edge as a background song to the chapters where Edward goes to AZ for Bella ... YES! I listened and that song is PERFECT! Loved it and THANKS!**_

**Thanks again for reading and leaving your lovely comments - they make me smile.**

**See ya in a week!  
M~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Usual disclaimer... don't own these characters... just want to hug them and squeeze them.  
Happy reading!**

* * *

Chapter 20

The day ticked by painfully slow after the uncomfortable exchange between Tanya and me. Barely lunch time, I had spent the better part of the morning looking over my shoulder, waiting for Tanya to appear. I had half-expected her to materialize and yell _"Boo!" _like some gory apparition

Although, it probably wouldn't be _"Boo!"_ that she'd yell but _"Bitch, step away from my man! You're fired!" _

I sat at my desk all morning and read through a new manuscript Mike had left for me. It was fluff and not very good. Any other day I would have I felt like it was a waste of my time and talent, but today I was thankful to have something that didn't require a lot of brain power. My head was still reeling from last night's revelations about Jessica and from the meeting with Tanya; I could barely type a simple text to Edward, much less correct the punctuation of this pitiful piece of work.

My phone vibrated in the desk drawer where I had put it earlier. As I opened the drawer and picked it up, I noticed the screen showed I had a new text message. I smiled as I saw it was my lovely man and wondered if he had somehow known I was just thinking of him.

_**Can't wait to see you later… E**_

Edward had gone to the office today to deliver his resignation to Mr. Stanley. He was also going to tell him about the 'Little Box of Sin' and planned to use it as leverage, if he needed to. I wondered if the need had arisen.

_**How were things at the office?**_

My phone vibrated in my hand almost instantly.

_**Tell you later… Love u… E**_

I smiled. I still wasn't used to hearing him say that or, for that matter, reading it, but I was getting there.

_**U 2**_

As soon as I hit the 'send' button, a throat cleared behind me. I jumped and nearly threw my phone across my desk. "Shit!" I hissed as my phone fumbled between my hands. I finally grabbed onto it and then spun in my chair. Mike was standing behind me, leaning on the cubicle wall, with a smirk on his pasty white face.

"Bella, I didn't mean to scare you," he said, slinking forward to lean on my desk as he tried looking at the phone I was still clutching.

I quickly laid it on the desk by my computer screen without tearing my eyes away from his. To say I didn't trust the sleazy fuck was the understatement of the year. I rolled my chair back as far as I could to put some space between us, but in the cramped space of the cubicle, he was still in close proximity.

"How's that manuscript going?" His tone was slightly accusatory, as if he thought I'd been doing nothing but texting all morning.

My skin crawled with discomfort at the way he was looking down at me, so I quickly stood up and rolled my empty chair under my desk. I picked up the legal pad I had made notes on and ticked off the issues I had with the story.

"First of all, it's weak. It's a worn-out story line. I mean, boy meets girl, boy rescues girl from a serious accident, girl figures out he's some sort of super human and they fall in love. Come on, it's been done already and a lot better than this, that's for sure." I tipped the legal pad toward him so he could see my notes, than looked back down at it before I spoke again. "And secondly, the author; is she twelve? 'Cause she writes as if she were…" I let my words trail off as I continued to thumb through my notes. Mike didn't respond, so I looked up at him.

His arms were folded across his chest, his jaw set and he looked a little… pissed.

"I worked hard selling that writer to my parents, Bella." He ground his words out between his clenched teeth. "She _is_ a young author, but we're giving her a chance. I just spent last week with Kissie and she is a pleasant young woman."

I couldn't hold back the chortle that flew from my mouth. The name on the manuscript read Kristina Blakely, not 'Kissie', which sounded more like a stripper name than a writer.

"With a name like 'Kissie'? Seriously, Mike?" He stared at me, his jaw slack, as I continued. "Please tell me that she doesn't have fake bleached blonde hair and silicone boobs, because that would just be too much."

Mike straightened up and stared at me, his mouth compressed into a hard line.

"Bella, what she looks like has nothing to do with this. Besides, if you had come with me to meet her, perhaps you'd have felt differently about Kissie. At the very least, maybe someone else would be editing her _weak _little manuscript."

He took a step closer which forced me into almost sitting on my desk. I had already been backed up against it in an effort to keep as much space between us as I was able.

"Excuse me?" My voice came out as a hoarse whisper, which pissed me off. I looked over my shoulder to glance around at the other cubicles, but our floor was empty. It was finally lunchtime, and I was caught alone with Mr. Sleazeball. I steeled myself, pulling in what courage I had left inside me after having dealt with Tanya earlier in the morning. I hoped that I appeared more confident than I felt.

"Mike, are you telling me that if I had gone out of town with you, I would have been given special… _privileges_? That perhaps I would have been given better work to read?"

The thought of exactly what his version of 'special privileges' entailed disgusted me, but I stood stoic, trying hard to hide the repulsion I was feeling from my face.

He slinked up closer to me and leaned in, he was now no more than three inches from my face. The thought crossed my mind that maybe he'd planned for this to happen when everyone had gone to lunch. He could say or do anything he wanted and it would always be my word against his, and I knew who Tanya would believe. The more I rolled the idea around, the more positive I became that this had been his plan all along, and I hated the sick feeling it gave me.

"Bella, _sweetheart_, you know I have wanted to give you…_special privileges _for a while. If you would just loosen up, I could show you how much nicer your job could be. Maybe you would like a corner office with a secretary of your very own?"

His breath smelled foul and I felt trapped by his close proximity. My heart began to beat erratically. I recognized the panic rising through me as I debated how to handle the situation. But before I could do anything, I heard the elevator doors open and heels clicking on the floor down the hall.

"What's going on here?" The icy voice of Tanya filled the space, echoing over the empty desks. As much as I hated the bitch, I was grateful for her presence at that moment.

Mike barely moved, just shifting enough to look past my head. "Well, Tanya, good afternoon. Bella and I were just having a conversation about _privileges_."

The way the word rolled off his tongue made my stomach flip and I thought I might be revisiting the bagel I had for breakfast.

_Perhaps I can spew in his face; that would be awesome._

I snickered at my own thought and Mike's eyes shot to me quickly before looking back at Tanya.

"Mike."

Tanya's voice was hard and I felt his countenance change. He pulled back from me, his face softened slightly as he scowled back at the Human Resources Manager. She may have the hots for him, but he clearly did not reciprocate those feelings. Of course, just that one thought had me picturing the two of them going at it on her desk.

_Damn!_

The clicking of Tanya's heels became louder as she came closer. "Michael, I'm sure you have more important things to do than chat up Isabella here. In fact, why don't you join me for lunch?" Her voice had changed with the last part, it had gotten softer. I vaguely realized that she was _flirting_ with him.

_EWW!_

Mike huffed and stepped out of my cubicle. I was finally able to move. As I turned to my right, I could see that Tanya was only about ten feet away now.

"Sorry, Tanya, babe, I've got lunch plans with that new girl in accounting. I thought it would be nice if the boss took her out to lunch her first week here." He looked at his watch. "And it appears I'm late."

"Well, you had better run along then, _Mike_," she hissed.

Mike turned his attention back to me. "Bella, we'll talk about this again later."

He walked past Tanya, his shoulder bumping hers, and headed for the elevator. Tanya stood, staring at me. If looks could kill, I would have been a pile of ash on the floor.

"I told you to leave him alone." Her voice was full of venom.

"Tanya, come on, you saw that! He came on to _me_, not the other way around!"

"I'm done with your games, Bella. I will win this; I always do." With that, she turned on her heel and left.

I let out a breath and pulled out my chair. Falling into it, I slumped back; those two idiots had exhausted the shit out of me. I needed to get out of the office. Though I had no appetite for lunch, I thought a cappuccino from the coffee shop would be perfect. I grabbed my phone from where I had laid it earlier and as I unlocked it to check for messages, I froze.

On the way to the office that morning, I had been using the voice recorder to make my 'To Do' list for the wedding. I had bridesmaid duties to fulfill. I had been slacking off over the last few weeks and really wanted to make it up to Alice by focusing some of my attention on her upcoming nuptials. So, as I'd thought of all the last-minute details, I recited them into the recorder. The app was still active on my phone and with my earlier fumbling, I had opened it and hit 'record'. Normally, I would have cursed my usual clumsy self, but not this time. As I hit the play button, I realized I had captured everything that had happened on the recorder.

Mike, Tanya, all of it.

I left the building with a skip to my step and decided I was in the mood for food after all.

XOXOXOXOX

I spent the day pondering what to do with the recording. After I got lunch, I listened to it again. Not all of the audio was decipherable. Sure, I knew what had been said, I had been there. But someone else wouldn't have been able to make much of it out. Still, I knew I had something I could now use, if I could only figure out how.

As I left for the day, I stopped by Lauren's desk. I still felt badly that I had almost nearly revealed her actions to Tanya and I wanted to be sure to let her know what happened.

I explained everything and once I was done, Lauren just smiled. "It's okay, Bella. I knew it would be hard to not involve me. I mean, realistically, how could you call her a liar without telling her how you _knew_ she was a liar?"

"Well, I just feel bad. I know how Tanya is and I didn't want to put you on her radar." I nervously fiddled with the pen that hung from the end of a chain that was attached to the counter. Lauren reached over and took it from me.

"Bella, it's cool. Whatever happens is what's meant to happen. No worries, OK?"

I smiled back at her, "OK." Just then, the desk phone rang. Lauren picked it up and listened to the voice on the other end. She answered to the affirmative and hung up.

"Looks like the She-Devil wants to see me." Lauren put away her purse and other items she had begun to gather up in preparation to leave for the day.

"Lauren, do you want me to stay? I can wait on you." I just knew nothing good was going to come from this meeting.

"Nope, I got this, Bella. You go on. I have your number, I can text you later and let you know what happened." She gave me a smile and waved as she walked to the elevator. I watched as she boarded it and the doors slid closed. I couldn't help feeling as if I had just sent her to the firing squad, alone.

I sighed heavily and turned for the door. There was nothing more I could do here right now, and I really wanted to talk to Edward about his day.

XOXOXOXOX

"Edward, come on!"

"Bells, I just don't want to have to tell the story over and over. When we get to Jazz and Ali's I'll tell you everything."

We were in his new Jeep Cherokee driving to his sister's home. He had met the guy that was buying his car today and then went straight to the dealership. The Jeep was a few years old, but in great condition. "I'm taking her to have a new stereo put in tomorrow," he explained, running his hand along the dash, as we drove.

I thought perhaps I should be offended by the level of adoration he was showing for the Jeep, but then realized being jealous of a car was just ridiculous.

When I had gotten home from work, Edward had dinner ready for us. While we ate, I told him everything that had happened with Tanya and Mike, including the voice recording. I played it back for him and he agreed that someone who was removed from the situation might not understand all of what was said, but there was enough there to make Mike look bad.

Edward, however, had not said a word about his day, besides the vehicle purchase. As we drove to Alice's, I had tried to get him to spill.

"Eddie… _please_…" I hoped I could sweet-talk him into telling me what had happened.

"Bells, don't even. We'll be there in five minutes… please?"

I sat back in the seat, arms folded across my chest. "Fine," I huffed.

As we pulled up to Alice and Jasper's house, my phone rang. I bounced in the seat, my attempt at dancing, and Edward looked at me and chuckled. I had changed my ringtone to a song by De La Soul, it made me want to dance every time. I truly was an eighties girl.

"What?" I looked at him, feigning irritation. He just shook his head and smiled as he climbed out of his new prized possession.

I looked at the screen and saw it was Lauren calling. "Hello? Lauren?"

I heard a lot of noise on the other end and then she spoke, "Bella! Hey! Guess what?" I could hear rock music in the background and someone yelling, _"Rack 'em!" _It sounded to me as if it could have been Jake.

I pressed the phone closer to my ear as I plugged my other ear with my finger. I wasn't sure why since I wasn't the one with the background noise.

"What's up, Lauren?"

She yelled something that sounded like _"Diet and rum!" _andthen laughed before speaking to me again. "Well, Bella, the bitch fired me!" She sounded happy about it; I, on the other hand, was mortified.

"Lauren! Fuck! I'm so sorry!" I had stopped short of Alice's porch, Edward turned back to look at me. I mouthed, _"Got fired"_ to him. He looked as surprised as I was.

"Don't apologize, Bella. It's for the best. I hated it there knowing that I couldn't breathe in Mike's direction without Mega Bitch coming down on me. Like I would ever want his nasty ass. My man is _fine!_" She didn't say his name, but I knew she meant Embry.

"Yeah, but it's not fair!" I was pacing the small sidewalk, shaking with anger.

"Nothing is, Bella. Look, I'm okay, really. Embry said he needs a counter person at the shop. It's not my long-term plan, but it's something for now. I really want to do something with fashion, but I probably need to go back to school. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you what happened and to watch out for yourself."

I couldn't believe _she_ was the one who'd lost her job, and she was worried about _me_. "Thanks, Lauren."

"Oh, and Bella? Thanks for introducing me to Embry. And don't be a stranger, OK?"

"Sure, no problem and you're… welcome?" It came out as a question. I was caught off-guard by her laid-back attitude about the whole situation. If it were me, I would have been freaked out. I like things in order, I don't care how much I may have loosened up over the last couple of months; I still needed some sort of structure. This was probably part of the reason I was still at that hell-hole putting up with their shit.

We disconnected as Jasper opened the door. He was in jeans and a Pink Floyd t-shirt, bare feet and messy hair. "Man, did we wake you?" Edward asked, laughing, as we walked past Jasper into the house. Jazz looked around sheepishly.

"Nah," he drawled out, "I'm just working on something for Alice that sorta has me a little frazzled. That's all."

He closed the door and led us through their small living room and down the hall to the back of the house. They lived in a small three-bedroom home, although the third and farthest back bedroom, was little more than a closet. As we crammed into the small room, I saw that Jasper had his guitar out.

"I'm practicing this song I want to sing to Ali at the reception. It's my wedding gift to her. I just haven't played in so long that I'm a little rusty. Plus, I can only practice when she's not here."

Jasper sat back in his chair. There was a music stand in front of him, with some sheet music. I could see the title 'Ho Hey' by The Lumineers. It was a very popular song, and I knew it was one of Alice's favorites right now. Edward lifted the sheet music and looked at it before smiling at his long-time friend. "It's a good song, man. She'll love it."

Edward grabbed two folding chairs that were leaning against the wall and opened them for each of us. We sat side-by-side in the small space. Jasper ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I wanted to sing her something, but nothing stood out. But ever since we started dating in high school, I always told her she was my sweetheart. This song seems right, just trying to turn it into a solo acoustic is killing me. I just want it to be perfect."

"Oh! I know!" They both turned to look at me. I had been so quiet while they'd been discussing the song that they looked at me now as though they'd forgotten I was even in the room.

"You could do that Peter Gabriel song 'In Your Eyes'! It's a great song and very romantic."

Jasper quirked an eyebrow at me as Edward smirked. "Bella, my love, not everyone has an affinity toward eighties music like you do, especially not my sister. You have _met _Alice, right?"

"Fine," I said and pouted.

Edward turned back to Jasper and leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. "Jasper, this is Alice we're talking about. The thought behind what you're doing is romantic enough. You could get up there and just sing 'I love you' over and over and she would gush with love and pride. You really can't mess this up."

Jasper seemed to relax a little. "Thanks, man. But, I know you aren't here for that, what's up? How'd today go?"

Edward leaned against the back of the chair, resting his left arm around me on the back of my own metal seat. "I really wish Alice had been here, I hate to have to do this again later."

"Sorry, man, but one of her clients called. Some sort of fashion emergency." Jasper shrugged and picked up his guitar, absently plucking the strings.

"Well, between you and Bella, you can relay the story details and feel free to share it with Rose and Em, too. I just want this shit behind me." Tilting his chair back onto the two rear legs, Edward sucked in a breath and began retelling the events of his morning.

He had gone into Mr. Stanley's office and, ignoring the secretary, he waltzed right into the CEO's office like he owned the place. Edward had taken the box with him, having left the copies of the DVDs back at our place.

He plopped the box on Stanley's desk and proceeded to tell him how things were going to happen.

…..

"_I know you're pissed that I broke up with your little princess. But, let me tell you, she wasn't all that sweet and demure. Your little girl was sleeping with half of Seattle. More specifically, she was screwing the half you hate."_

"_Listen here, Edward, I don't know who the fuck you think you're talking to…" _

_Stanley was on his feet behind his desk, chubby finger at the end of an equally chubby hand pointing at Edward's chest. Edward never broke his stride as he walked right up to the desk, so close that his legs were up against it._

"_I'm talking to the father of the whore I broke up with. Here's what's going to happen: I'm resigning, I'm giving you an appropriate two-week notice, for which you will offer to pay me my two weeks' salary and allow me to leave today…"_

"_I'll do nothing of the sort!" _

"_Oh, I think you will. You see, I brought you Jessica's box of dirty secrets, but I wasn't stupid. I kept copies of the things in this box, things you would never want the elite of Seattle to know about. It's scandalous and all the money you have couldn't keep you and your family from becoming outcasts, pariahs in your own town." _

_Edward opened the box so Stanley could see the contents. The old man's face paled before it turned bright red and Edward thought he might have a heart attack right there. _

"_You'll also give a proper job recommendation to anyone who calls asking about me, you won't tear me down through the business community and you will only say positive things about me and my work performance. As far as everyone is concerned, Jessica and I ended painfully but in mutual agreement; that aside, you still respect me as a former employee and business partner."_

_Stanley continued to stare into the box, sliding things around with the tip of his finger as if he were afraid to touch any of it, lest he be contaminated by its sheer filth. The hefty, balding man sat down in his high-backed leather chair. "You have me by the balls, Edward. Certainly you want more than that?"_

_Edward shook his head and stepped back from the desk. He put his hands in his pockets as he looked at the old man. He felt sorry for him, his world was balanced on such a fine line, and his daughter would end up being his undoing. But, not today and not by Edward's hand._

"_I don't want to take advantage of the situation. I just want to leave your company quietly and with my dignity in place. I want my two weeks' paid salary and will sign all termination paperwork post-dated for two weeks from today. My concern is not Jessica and who she is and isn't sleeping with, not any longer. I just want to move on."_

…..

"So, he contacted HR and I signed all the necessary paperwork. They're paying me the two weeks' salary plus the end of the year bonus, which I suspect that he thinks will buy my silence. But, I have no intention of telling anyone anything. I just wanted out. So I'm out."

He shrugged his lean shoulders and placed the front legs of the chair back onto the ground. "What I'm more concerned with is Bella and her situation at work."

Jasper put his guitar down, leaned it against the wall, and looked at me. "OK, Bella, tell me what's going on."

XOXOXOXOX

It was Friday morning. Edward had driven me to work and promised to stay downstairs in the car until I was done. I was wearing what Alice dubbed my 'power suit': Pin-striped black pants that fit my hips the right way while flowing to the tops of my feet; and a white blouse unbuttoned to the point my cleavage began, with a three-quarter-sleeved black jacket. She tried to get me into six-inch stilettos, but I refused. I wanted to survive the morning without a broken ankle, so instead I was in four-inch high black loafers. I had on the appropriate jewelry and makeup, and my hair was swept back from my face into a tight ponytail.

I walked past the empty reception desk to the elevators. I offhandedly wondered who they would put there now that Lauren was gone. As the elevator doors opened and I boarded, I did a final mental check of everything, my clothes, my purse and the items inside.

I stopped at my floor first and went to the copy room. There was an empty paper box against the wall and I took it and carried it to my desk. I would need it later.

I glanced over at Mike's office; he was in already, but so busy on his computer he hadn't noticed my entrance. I hurried back to the elevators and went up to the executive floor. I always thought it was odd that Mike chose to keep his office down with us, when he seemed so full of pride over his status at the company.

The secretary was at her desk and when she tried to stop me, I breezed by and headed straight for Tanya's office. I stopped for a moment to tinker with my bag and then went straight in, closing the door behind me.

"Bella!" Tanya exclaimed.

Tanya was at her desk, yogurt in hand and what looked like a sex toy website on her computer screen. She clicked her mouse and the screen flickered to the home page. I couldn't help the smirk that crossed my face.

"Doing some shopping there, Tanya?"

"It is none of your business what the hell I was doing. What do you want?"

I stood at her desk and placed my hands on it, so I was leaning forward. "I want to file a sexual harassment suit against Mike. You saw what he was doing yesterday and you know I have just cause."

Tanya stood up from her chair. "Bella, I have no idea what you're talking about, but you're walking a very fine line."

I needed to push her harder. "Come on, Tanya, you saw how he was leaning into me and talking about giving me special privileges if I did him favors. He all but came out and said he wanted to sleep with me."

Her face was turning red and her voice was harsh as she said, "I have no idea what the fuck he sees in you! I told him yesterday that he needs to keep his distance from you. I had also told you the same thing but that doesn't seem to have changed anything."

"Tanya," I softened my voice to a plea. "You _know_ that he was coming on to me and I wasn't doing anything to invite it. I know you like him and I don't want to stand in your way. I just want the sexual innuendoes and advances to stop."

Her breathing escalated and I knew I had her.

"Isabella, I have already told you that I would ruin you if you got in my way with Mike. In fact, I have fired other women for not staying away from him, and I won't hesitate to do the same to you. I don't give a shit if Mike threatened to put his dick down your throat; you are to stay away from him! He's mine! I will _make_ him mine!" Her chest rose and fell with her pants of anger. "All of you little whores come around here and think you can just sweep him off his feet; well, you can't. And, I'm also not going to allow you to drag his name through the mud! Get the fuck out of my office, _now!_ I will meet you later to discuss what will happen going forward, but know it won't be good."

I stood up and did my best to feign being upset. I even managed to squeeze out a few tears as I hurried from Tanya's office and back to the elevator. I stepped onto the elevator and when the doors closed, reached into my purse and pulled out the small voice recorder. It was better than the phone, high-tech and expensive. As I played back my conversation with Tanya, you could hear every word as if she were standing next to me.

I went back down to my floor, which had started to fill with other junior editors. It was casual Friday and most were dressed in jeans. They looked at me with curiosity since I was dressed so formally. I went directly to Mike's office and closed the door.

"Bella, have you reconsidered my offer from yesterday?"

I didn't respond, but instead pressed the play button on the recorder. Once that was done, I fished out my phone and played back the encounter from the day before. It might not have been clear to most, but since it was his own voice being played back to him, Mike knew exactly what was said. His face blanched as he sat still in his chair.

"Now, Mike, here's what we're going to do. I don't want to be tied up in a long sexual harassment case and I certainly don't want to deal with the suit I can file against Tanya. Mind you, I _do_ have a lawyer, and he's a very close and personal friend of mine. He works for a very prestigious firm and he will make your life quite miserable."

I slid both devices back into my purse as I watched the sweat form on Mike's brow.

"I'm assuming you'll want to keep this from your parents as well, so I'm sure you'll agree to my conditions. I want six months' salary for myself and for Lauren, the receptionist that Tanya wrongly fired yesterday."

Mike sat up. "Wait a damned minute! I didn't know anything about Lauren!"

I made a _tsk_ noise at Mike and moved toward his desk, leaning forward onto it.

"Mike, I really don't give a flying fuck what you do and don't know. What I do care about is what you're going to do. I want six months' salary for myself and Lauren. Up front, today."

"I – I can't do that, what will I tell my parents?" The sweat was dripping into the collar of his shirt.

Standing, I put my hands on my hips. "Frankly Mike, I don't give a damn."

I laughed inwardly at myself. I could tell by the look on his paler-than-normal face that Mike hadn't gotten my reference.

"Tell them you gambled it or wasted it on hookers, I really don't care. Either way, I'm going to pack up my desk right now. In thirty minutes, I want two envelopes handed to me; One for me, one for Lauren. If you don't, I will move forward with my suits against both you and Tanya."

I turned and left his office.

As I packed my desk, I texted Edward and let him know what had happened. Less than ten minutes later, I heard the elevator doors open and he strode across the office to my desk. The girls in the other cubicles gaped at him and I just beamed. He stopped in front of me as Mike rounded the corner, envelopes in hand.

Mike said nothing as he handed me the envelopes and stormed away. Edward kissed my nose and said, "Ready, Bells?"

"Ready."

He picked up my box, now packed with all the belongings from my desk, and walked with me to the elevators.

* * *

**A/N: So, I am posting a day early because... well... because I can! :)  
Major shout out to Sparklingwand who listened to my ideas on the Bella/Tanya issue and gave me some fantastic thoughts of her own. Yup, I used most of them! Again, because I can.  
HOLLA to my beta beauty, mauigirl60 who pretties it all up and makes me laugh with her comments in the margins.**

**I don't often rec, not to be rude, it's just cause I don't remember... but check out my girl theonlykyla and her story A Whisper of Chaos - her last chapter ripped my heart out. Plus, she is a cool chica.  
And while I'm at it.. see Sparklingwand and her story Compass.**

**Both of these ladies are fantastic people, not to mention writers. Leave them some love.**

**Thanks for reading. My birthday is this week and I will be in Tampa with my daughter and her drama troupe at the Florida Thespian Festival. 4 1/2 days of DRAMA - LITERALLY! So, I might just post the next chapter early... just as a B-Day gift from me to you! :)**

**As always... I love the follows and favorites and especially your lovely comments.  
XO- M**


	21. Chapter 21

**Posting mid-week cause I'm a rebel that way.  
Don't own them... Just obsess over them.  
Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 21

"Holy fuck, Bella! You have balls, woman!"

When Edward and I got back to the house, I went straight to tell Emmett what had happened. I was on an adrenaline high. Never in my life did I think I was capable of pulling off anything remotely like I did with Tanya and Mike. On the ride to the house, I couldn't shut up, relaying every moment to Edward again and again as he sat and grinned at me, shaking his head. Rose was at work, it was, after all, not even lunch time, so I banged on the front door until Emmett crawled out of bed. He had worked the night shift for a buddy who had called in sick, so needless to say, he was pissed at first when he opened the door. But once I'd told him what had happened, he was even more excited than I was, if that was even possible, and began passing out beers.

I contemplated the long-neck bottle in my hand, as it wasn't even noon yet.

_Eh, fuck it._

I shrugged, lifting the bottle to my lips. I took a long draw off it, nearly draining it in one long swallow.

"Edward!" Emmett looked at his little brother and beamed with what I think was pride. "Did you know your woman had that in her? That was fucking amazing!"

"Well, I knew she…" Edward started before Emmett cut him off.

"Bella-Boo-Boo! You are one fantastic hell-fire bitch! Man! Wait 'til I tell Rosie about this! She's going to fall out. Shit!" Then it finally happened; he high-fived me.

I put the nearly-empty bottle down as I proceeded to tell Em again about the look on Mike's face and how I really wanted to punch him in the eye. That led to Emmett and me prancing around the kitchen like a couple of amateur boxers, taking swings at each other and ducking and weaving around the counters.

I was about to plant a right hook onto Emmett's jaw when my phone began ringing. The opening beat of 'Plug Tunin' by De La Soul filled the kitchen.

Emmett looked at my purse on the kitchen table, where the music was coming from, and shook his head. "Really, Bella? The eighties called, they want their music back."

I decided to complete my right hook.

I turned to get my phone, as Em whined about how I might have busted his jaw, and went into the living room. It was Lauren calling me back. I had tried her after Edward and I had left the office. She sort of needed to know that she was in for a big payday herself.

I swiped my thumb across the bar and answered the phone. "Lauren! Hey, girl!" I was louder than normal and absently realized that the beer was the first thing I had eaten or drank all day. It was going straight to my head.

Lauren giggled on the other end of the line. "Bella? You okay? Marjie, the lady who's retiring in accounting called and said she was cutting some big checks for you and me today. Then I saw where you had called. What the hell happened?"

Marjie, one of the nicest people at that office, was retiring to Florida to live with her daughter. They had hired that new girl, whom Mike was taking to lunch yesterday, to replace her. But really, nobody could replace Marjie.

"Well! I got Tanya and Mike good, Lauren!" I proceeded to relay the entire morning back to her, including my right hook to Emmett's jaw, because that shit was just too funny not to share.

"Damn, girl! I wish I'd been there to see it! But, thanks for including me; I never really expected anything to ever happen to them. I guess this is better, though. Now I don't have to worry so much about getting a job just yet." As Lauren said that, something tickled in the back of my mind. She'd wanted a job in fashion; Alice needed help…

"Lauren, I may have an idea for a job for you. I can let you know in the next week or so, okay?"

"Really? Bella, you're like my knight in shining armor… except you're a girl. And I think armor is too heavy; maybe a princess in Prada?"

Oh, yeah, she and Alice would get along nicely.

Lauren and I said our goodbyes and as I turned to head back to the kitchen, Edward met me halfway in the dining room. He had two six-packs in his hands; well, a six-pack and a half since we'd all had one each earlier.

He stopped to kiss my head. "What's all this?" I asked, gesturing toward the bottles.

"Emmett said we need to celebrate. He's also lending me his new copy of 'Assassins Creed' for us to play." He turned his left shoulder toward me a little and I could see the game box tucked under his arm. "Wanna go kill some stuff with me?"

My heart warmed.

For once, I felt absolutely worry-free. I didn't have to deal with Tanya and Mike any longer. Jessica and her father were out of our lives for good. I was financially OK for a few months, other than needing to find a new place to live after the first of the year. Plus, I had the most beautiful man standing in front of me with beer and a newly-released video game. Things were great.

If only I could have talked him into playing it naked, things would have been fucking fantastic. But, apparently, he found that too distracting.

Four hours later we had devoured a large extra cheese, pepperoni and mushroom pizza, drank all the beer and killed a butt-ton of bad guys. I hadn't laughed so much in the last year as much as I did that afternoon with Edward. It was like I had my old Edward back; except better.

Buzzing from beer and high on the adrenaline from the day, I found myself tossing the game remote on the floor as I climbed onto Edward's lap. His eyes met mine, darting back and forth, as he broke into a grin.

"Well, hello there, pretty lady." I couldn't stop the giggle that came out of me.

"Hello there, yourself, handsome."

I put my hands on the back of the sofa, on either side of his head, and leaned in to nibble at his jaw. I heard the game controller in his hand hit the floor just before his hands settled on my hips.

"Bells, did you have something in mind, here?" He already sounded breathless and I grinned against the skin of his neck. I loved that I could make him feel that way.

"Well," I whispered, moving to suck his ear lobe into my mouth and making him sigh. "I was hoping to make out a little with my boyfriend on the couch."

He let out a "mmmmm" as his hands slid into the back of the sweats I had put on earlier.

"And, then," I continued, moving my head to the other side of his neck, licking and nipping there as well, "I was hoping said boyfriend would take me to bed and fuck me."

I pulled back a little so I could grin at Edward, his eyes already dark with lust. A sound that could only be described as a growl spilled from his lips just as his right hand came up to grab the back of my head, forcing my mouth to his.

The kiss was hard and feral, all teeth and tongue; I grabbed his hair and tugged his head, tilting it back a little more as I deepened it, sending heat straight to the junction between my legs.

His right hand snaked under my t-shirt and pushed up my bra. He twisted and pulled at my nipple while his left moved down from my ass and under, between my legs where he was just able to dip his fingers into me. I ground myself into his very apparent hardness, setting a smooth rocking pace that threatened to have me coming right then and there if I didn't stop soon.

As if reading my mind, Edward suddenly pulled back from me. "Bells, we need to slow down or I'm gonna explode in my jeans."

I gave him what I hoped was my most wicked grin and got up from his lap. "Well, I think we can remedy that problem." I lifted my shirt up and over my head and had my bra and sweats off almost instantaneously. He reached for his own clothing, but I stilled his hands. That was a package that _I_ wanted to unwrap today.

I pulled his shirt off then worked on unfastening his belt, while I inwardly laughed at myself. Here I was, Isabella Marie Swan, self-admitted control freak, drinking on a weekday, having crazy sex on the living room sofa – with the blinds open to the street below – and undressing a man. As I tugged on the waistband of his jeans and boxer briefs, freeing his cock, I felt elated because I realized it wasn't just _any_ man I was undressing, it was _my man_; Edward Fucking Cullen.

"Bells, most guys don't like it when a girl laughs at their dick."

I had settled back onto my heels and I looked up at him, his lips turned into a frown. Apparently, my giggling had escaped my head and spilled out of my lips.

I just smiled at him as I said, "I'm happy Edward."

I pulled his jeans off his feet, thankful he had taken his shoes and socks off when we'd started with the game earlier, and tossed what had been left of his clothes to the side. He sat on my couch, naked and beautiful.

"In fact, I'm sooo happy, I'm going to show you exactly how fucking happy I am!"

I rose back up on my knees and grabbed his length, stoking it a few times before settling my mouth over it, the groan of pleasure escaping Edward's mouth had me smiling even broader.

I worked him over; my tongue on the bottom of his shaft and the gentle scraping of my teeth along the length had him bucking gently into my mouth, as his hands wove though my hair. I could feel him tightening and knew he was almost there, so I picked up my pace. Just as I did, he stopped me.

"Bells," it was a hoarse whisper. "I want to… in you…"

He grabbed me under my shoulders and hoisted me onto his lap. Our lips crashed into one another again as I settled down onto him, gently rocking to and fro, setting an even pace.

Edward's mouth left mine and latched onto to my right nipple, biting and flicking it with his tongue, as I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. It was an unusually sunny day in Seattle, clear skies allowed for the sun to flow into my little living room and onto our skin, warming us. I realized that my view of the outside world probably meant the outside world could see me - us - but I didn't care.

My head rolled back as I quickened my pace, rocking harder. Edward's mouth searched out my other nipple as a hand snaked between us, pushing and rolling over my clit. When I came, it was explosive and Edward was right behind me, both of us not caring how loud we were in calling each other's name in ecstasy.

XOXOXOXOX

I woke to a banging on my door.

Edward and I had finally made it into the bed, after we had showered… a shower which was accompanied by shower sex. Of course, after the shower sex was "Bella bent over the railing" sex and then "Bella riding me like a bucking bull" sex.

Afterward, we were exhausted and fell asleep, tangled up in my sheets and each other. My phone had been ringing nonstop prior to making it into the bedroom for the last round of fornication, so I'd turned it off. Nothing and no one was more important than my man had been at that moment. However, Rose was apparently pissed that I'd been ignoring her, because she was threatening to use her keys to enter my abode right now.

"Bella! I know you and Edward are up there! Emmett heard the two of you fucking all day! Now let me in or I'm using the key and coming up – and I don't give two shits what position I find the two of you in, either!"

"Damn it to hell," Edward mumbled against my neck, "tell her to shut the hell up!"

I reached up and scratched his scalp, a sound like a purr emanating from him.

"It's the price I paid for not answering her call hours ago. Let me go talk to her."

As I rose, Edward made a small mewling sound and I had to laugh. I'd never heard the noises that were coming from him before today. Somehow, I felt as if there'd been a shift between us, as if I wasn't the only one more relaxed to have all the shit behind us. We both felt the same way and could finally just be ourselves.

I grabbed a pair of underwear from the drawer and considered a robe, until I saw one of Edward's t-shirts on my dresser. I picked it up and pressed it to my nose. It smelled of him, so I slipped it over my head before I padded down my steps. Rose was still threatening the use of her keys as I unlocked the door.

"Rose." I stood, door in hand and my right shoulder against the frame.

"About damned time, Bella! I've been trying to call you, but you turned off your phone. Em said you quit today, and you got them to give you some sort of severance?"

That made me chortle. "I wouldn't call it 'severance' exactly…"

I thought about that, what _would_ it have been called? Blackmail?

Now, I felt like a total kick-ass bitch and wanted to go play naked ninjas with the sleeping man up in my room.

"Well, whatever you're calling it, you need to tell me about it. Now!" Rose had her hands on her hips and she was giving me her fiercest glare. But, today, it didn't move me. I grinned back at her.

"No can do, Rosie. I'm spending quality time with my man. And, I don't want to have to repeat the story again tomorrow, when we see Alice and Esme, so you're just going to have to wait until then." I moved to close the door and her hand shot up, pressing on it to hold it in place.

Her lips were pressed into a hard line as she took in the expression on my face, which I was pretty sure told her I didn't give a rat's ass what she thought at the moment.

"Fine," she huffed, "but for God's sake, keep it down up there. I really don't need to hear it every time you come!"

Her voice must have carried up the stairwell, because Edward let out a guffaw from the bedroom. I grinned back at her.

"I'll see what I can do, but I'm not making any promises." With that, I closed the door and climbed back into bed with my man.

XOXOXOXOX

It was Saturday and I was at the hotel restaurant with Esme, Alice and Rose. We had toured the grounds as Alice met with the wedding coordinator one last time.

I had already relayed to them the events of my two days at work; how Lauren had gotten fired, how I'd trapped Tanya and Mike into being taped, and how I'd demanded the compensation pay for both Lauren and myself.

"Well, I, for one, think you did an outstanding job, Bella." Esme was drinking a white wine spritzer as she spoke. "You not only took care of yourself, but you didn't forget your co-worker. That was exceptionally kind of you."

I shrugged. I hadn't thought of it that way. I had known that Lauren had lost her job because of me and I'd needed to pay her back somehow.

Alice looked at me, shaking her head. "It's like, since you came back from Arizona, you're a whole different person. I mean, you're still Bella, but you're Bella with a backbone. And, you seem to have loosened up a bit on all your OCD issues."

That comment made Rose laugh. I shot her a glare since I was pretty sure she was remembering our exchange from yesterday. My glare didn't stop her, though. "Oh, she's loosened up all right!"

Esme put up a hand. "Rose, I love you and Bella to death, but I don't need to hear about your sex lives with my sons. Trust me; if they're anything like their father, I know exactly what that's like."

"Mom!" Alice chided, clearly appalled at what was just said. Esme just shrugged and sipped from her glass.

The three of them began prattling on again about wedding food, the cake, and how great the photographer was known to be. My phone vibrated in my lap and I picked it up, checking the text I just received.

It was from Edward.

_**I can still taste you – E**_

I couldn't help it, the text made me blush.

"What are you reading over there?" Alice asked. I looked up to see the three of them staring at me. "Come on, Bella, your face is bright red, clearly it's something dirty."

"You can be sure of that with those two," Rose chimed in. A grin lit up my face and I looked at Esme, who was grinning back at me.

I couldn't deny that they were right; it was a dirty text, so I just shrugged and went back to typing my reply, warmth pooling down low as I remembered my morning with Edward.y.

…..

The next morning had started off just as fantastically as yesterday Friday had ended. When my alarm went off at seven, I crawled out from underneath Edward's arm, moving slowly so I wouldn't wake him. Just because I had to be up early to meet his annoying little sister didn't mean he had to as well.

I finished showering and wrapped one towel around my body and one around my head before walking back to the bedroom. Alice had requested that we wear dresses today, since we would be dining at the hotel, as well. I planned to wear my Bailia Tango dress today and already had it hanging on my closet door. It was a deep merlot color with a thin black belt and short sleeves. It came to my knees and since it was chilly today, I went to my dresser first to get out the black opaque tights I would wear with it along with my bra and underwear.

"Hey," Edward said from behind me, his voice still scratchy from sleep.

I pulled the towel from my hair as I scrubbed at my scalp before tossing it to the floor.

"Hey, yourself," I said, as I went to stand next to his side of the bed and leaned down to kiss him. His kiss was chaste, and I knew it was because he was worried about his morning breath, so I bent a little lower to kiss his jaw line.

His hands snaked around my waist as he pulled me on top of him, then rolled me over so I was beneath him on the bed.

"Hey!" I feigned irritation as I smacked his chestand smacked his arm. He grinned at me before assaulting my neck and chest with his mouth. His hands pulled at the towel around me so it fell open.

"I don't want you to go," he said, between nips and kisses.

"I have to, it's your sister. I'm the Maid of Honor," I replied, as I dug my fingers into his hair, scratching at his scalp and then pulling lightly.

His kissing moved lower as he licked around my areola before pulling my nipple into his mouth. It hardened between his teeth and I threw my head back with a groan.

"Well, if you have to go," he said, around the hardened pebble in his mouth, "then come home quickly. I want you back in our bed as soon as possible."

His kissing moved to my abdomen as I continued playing with his soft hair. I replayed his words in my mind.

"_Come home…"_

"_Our bed…"_

I hadn't allowed myself to think of this place as 'ours' yet. I knew Edward loved me and I loved him, but we hadn't spoken of the future.

His head settled between my thighs as his hands moved to their insides, pushing my legs flat to the mattress. His tongue gently danced and grazed, circling my clit before pressing harder.

….

Once we were done with our morning activities, I finished getting dressed, Edward watching me from the bed as I did so. "Bells, you know I'm not going anywhere, right?"

I was slipping my feet into my black suede pumps as I looked over at him. I was pretty sure I had known that, I had hoped it anyway.

"Yeah, sure, Eddie."

My voice had come out sounding unsure, which I hadn't meant to. I looked up in time to see a look of concern crossing his face. He leaned forward and crawled to the foot of the bed. The sheet fell from his body; he was still naked, and I could see his beautiful skin and rippling muscles.

As he knelt in front of me, I realized that he was baring himself to me, inside and out.

"Bella, I'm not going anywhere. I want us to be together no matter what paths we choose in life. I want this to be _our_ home, if that's OK with you. And, then, I want to find a new home with you, when the time is right. I want to go to sleep every night after making love to you and I want to wake up with you in my arms every day. I want to pack you a lunch for work and wash your hair when we shower. And, someday, in the future, I'd like to see your body change and grow with our child inside you." His hands still held mine, but pressed against my abdomen.

I had no words, only tears that gently flowed from my eyes.

"Bella, I love you more than anything; I'll spend the rest of my life making up for time lost and telling you how special you are to me." His eyes bore into mine as if he were pleading with me to say something, anything.

I said all I could muster, "I love you, too, Edward."

…..

At the hotel, the girls and I we had coffee and sampled different cheesecakes before leaving the restaurant. On the drive home, we fell back into conversation about my job and Lauren.

"Bella, I would really like to meet Lauren. Maybe we should all have dinner?" Alice said, looking over her left shoulder at me. Esme was behind the wheel of her Mercedes and Rose and I sat in the back.

I shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

"Well, if we're going to do it, let's do a cookout or something at our house. Emmett has a crush on Jacob, so invite him, too, if you want." Rose smiled at me as she continued, "That won't be awkward, right?" I thought about it and realized that it actually wouldn't be awkward at all.

"No, I think we could tell him to bring Angela, and it would probably make Embry feel better to have Jake there, too."

"Great!" Alice clapped her hands and bounced in her seat. "Let's plan it for next weekend! We can trim the tree at your house, Rose, and then have everyone over. It'll be great!"

As we drove back to the house Rose and I lived in, I felt more comfortable and complete than I had in my entire life. I was in a car with my two best friends and a mother figure who I loved more than anything. I knew they loved me as well. And, at home, I had the man of my dreams, waiting for me to crawl back into the safety of his arms.

Life was good.

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**A/N: So... This was a light chapter and with the majority of the drama over, this fic will be wrapping up soon. We just have some loose ends and a HEA to get to. :) You can expect no more than 5 chapters, which will most likely include the Epi.**

**Great news... taking the laptop with me on my chaperone trip to Tampa today. We leave Orange Park around 3 for the FL State Thespian Festival (Break a Leg Troupe 5709!). I am hoping - with all fingers and toes crossed - that I can get some work done on the bus ride and while I am manning the meeting place at the convention center the next few days. If I can, then we should have another chapter update on the regular Sunday posting day.**

**As always... Thanks to my beta, mauigirl60, who will receive a box of Peeps from me as a gift of thanks once this is all over. :) It's also a bribe in hopes she'll play with me and my next story.**

**XOXO - Huggles!**

**MD**


	22. Chapter 22

**Greetings all!  
Thanks for the continued sweet reviews.  
As always, I don't own the original characters. If I did, I would have beat the crap out of Jessica by now.  
Enjoy! :)**

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Chapter 22

I woke up Monday morning and had absolutely nothing to do, except the man lying next to me. But, since we had already done _that_ into the wee hours of the night, I decided to crawl quietly out of our bed at ten and head to the shower.

_Our bed._

It still made me smile. This was _our _place and Edward was still sleeping in _our_ bed. After our talk yesterday morning and more heartfelt conversation after I returned from my outing with the girls, I had finally allowed myself to embrace and accept that this was all very real. This was the reason for the new round of butterflies dancing inside me and the permanent grin plastered on my face.

As I headed to the bathroom, I grabbed my phone from my small desk in the common area and saw I had a text from Jake. It felt as if it had been forever since I'd seen him, although it had only been a couple of weeks. In his text, he asked if I could leave the office for lunch today. I shook my head at myself realizing so much had happened in such a short amount of time, then texted him back and told him that lunch could definitely be arranged. We decided on a time and I told him I would meet him at the café, the same one where I'd bumped into him a couple of months ago. I would tell him then about work, and Edward.

Realizing I was going to need some liquid energy to get me started, especially if I planned to meet Jake in little over an hour, I stopped off at the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. I then turned back for the bathroom.

As I showered, I knew I would need to let Edward know that I was meeting Jake for lunch. The thought made me uncomfortable. First, I wasn't used to having to tell someone about my daily plans. Second, and more important, although we had declared our mutual love for one another and desire to be fully committed to each other, he was not Jacob's biggest fan. I stepped from the shower and towel-dried my hair. I wrapped the towel around myself and quietly sneaked back into the bedroom. It looked to be a typical Seattle day: cloudy, rainy and cold. So, after putting on my underwear and bra, I pulled on a pair of jeans, a fitted tan and burgundy striped turtleneck and my Enzo Angiolini 'Saylem' brown leather riding boots. They were an extravagant purchase at over a hundred and fifty dollars, but Alice had been right when she said I would wear them forever. I had broken them in so that they were almost like putting on my favorite tennis shoes. Plus, with the knee-high wool socks I wore under them, I was sure to stay toasty and warm no matter what the Seattle elements threw at me.

Back in the kitchen, I grabbed myself a cup of coffee then went to the bathroom to dry my hair. It was when I made my final stop in the bedroom to grab my jacket off the hook of the closet door that I saw Edward was awake.

"'Morning, handsome," I said, sitting on the side of the bed and leaning in to kiss him. He was stretched across the bed at an angle, his feet on his side, but his arms were wrapped around the pillow on my side.

"'Morning yourself, beautiful. Where you headed to?" His hair was a beautiful mess on the top of his head, sticking out in different directions, the soft, filtered sunlight from the window danced on the gold and red strands.

"Well…" I sucked in a breath and hoped for the best. "I'm meeting Jacob for lunch. He texted me earlier. I didn't want to wake you, but I was going to let you know before I left, I promise. I wasn't going to hide it from you. I mean, I have no reason to…"

His hand came out from under the pillow and he pressed a finger to my lips. "Bella, hush, it's fine. I know he's your friend." I felt my body relax and I blew out the breath I'd been holding. He dropped his hand so it rested on my thigh.

"Really? You're sure you're fine with my meeting him?" I rested my hand on top of his and he turned his palm up so he could lace our fingers together.

"Well, he's with that girl, Angela, right? The mother of his son?"

"Yeah."

"Bells, look, he's your friend and I know that. He was there when you needed someone, when I wasn't there. Now, the thought of you two remotely intimate pisses the fuck out of me, but I wasn't there for you and he was, and I'm grateful for that." He squeezed my hand.

I sensed the finality in his words, so I decided that a change of subject would be best. "So, how long have you been awake?"

He grinned at me, a slow mischievous grin. "Long enough to watch you come out of the bathroom all naked and wet, and get dressed."

"Why didn't you tell me you were up?"

He cocked a brow at me. "'Cause if I'd told you I was up, you'd never have left this bedroom in time to meet Jacob for lunch. Besides, I was enjoying the show." He waggled his eyebrows at me. I pulled my hand from his and playfully smacked his chest. He caught it and pressed my palm to his lips.

"Is that the famous 'morning after' coffee I smell brewing?"

Now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, the awesome coffee that you'd always made in the mornings… after I'd spent the night… and we had… you know…" his voice trailed off as he realized the hole he had quite nicely dug for himself.

"Edward, I think you should quit while you're ahead. Or, at the very least, before I kick your behind."

"I think you're right," he said, with a smile, and kissed my hand again.

XOXOXOXOX

I walked down the sidewalk to the café. The light drizzle wreaked havoc on my hair but did nothing to dampen my spirits.

As I rounded the corner, I saw Jacob's broad figure under the café awning. He was on the phone and when he saw me he looked startled. He ended his call and slid the phone into his pocket.

"Hey," I said with a smile, stepping into his outstretched arms.

"Hey," he said into my hair. It was warm and safe in the comfort of his arms, but in the way it was when Emmett hugged me, a big brother feeling.

Jacob pulled back and looked down at me. "You look great. Are you off today? You weren't coming from the direction of your office, you surprised me." His face held a look of confusion. I responded with a smile.

"We have a lot to talk about, Jake. Let's get a table first." I grabbed his hand and led him inside. Once we were seated and had placed our orders, I relayed to him all of the events of the last couple of weeks.

It took most of the hour to recount the story of Phil and his accident, my trip to Arizona, Edward following me there, the hidden box of Jessica crap, Edward quitting his job and finally the story of how I ended my employment with Newton Publishing.

My reuben sandwich had gone practically untouched as I spoke, although I had managed to devour all of my fries.

"Wow, Bella. That's just unbelievable." He shook his head and slurped at his empty glass of soda. The waitress stopped by to refill it for him, as he gave her a smile and then fixed his eyes back on me. "I have to say, I'm glad to hear that Edward finally stepped up. I was beginning to wonder. I mean, even _I_ knew that Jessica bitch was not for him and I didn't even know them!"

"Yeah, it was pretty unbelievable. I just never thought we'd finally get here."

"See, we were meant for friendship only," he said.

"So, tell me about Angela, and Chase." I picked up my sandwich and took a bite. Even cold it was delicious.

"Things are… good. Angela and I are talking every day, mostly about Chase, but I think we really want to make a go of it, together. That's who I was talking to when you walked up. She's such an amazing person and she's been raising Chase on her own all these years." He shook his head and stirred his soda with his straw. The regret he held for not being there for Angela and his son all these years was clear on his face. "I should have manned up a lot sooner, for my son."

"Jacob, what matters is that you're here, now."

We finished lunch and talked for another hour. He filled me in on Embry and Lauren, who were practically living there. I told him about Alice and Rose's plans for a cookout and how we wanted to invite all of them. "Wow," Jake said, "that's like putting the Jets and the Sharks in the same room together. Are you sure we can all handle it?"

I laughed at his reference, amazed he even knew who the Jets and Sharks were.

"Well, if you and Embry promise to leave your switchblades at home, I think I can convince the other boys to keep their chains locked away for the night. Plus, Emmett is in love with your bike, remember? And, with the baby on the way, Rose won't even let him entertain the idea of getting one of his own. So, I'm pretty sure he would love to see yours; and he would never allow anyone to disrupt his bike-mance."

"Nice, Bella, just nice."

XOXOXOXOX

The week went by without much happening.

Edward and Emmett worked out the final plans on the sale of the house. Rose and Emmett were set to move in after the first of the year. Since Rose was only five weeks along, they had plenty of time to get their home ready for their new arrival. Edward had hired a company to professionally clean the house for them and another to paint each room the way they wanted it painted.

Rose protested, but Edward insisted, telling her that if they made him godfather to his new niece or nephew, they could call it even. Rose and Em took a sum total of two seconds to agree.

With that taken care of, there was Rose and Emmett's house to consider. They asked us if we wanted it, but since neither of us knew what we were doing about work yet, we decided we couldn't make that sort of commitment.

Alice, however, wanted it badly. She had already begun to draw up plans for rebuilding the staircase on the outside of the house so she could see clients upstairs. She intended to move forward with not only her clothing line, but also as a personal stylist. Alice had dressed the elite of Seattle long enough as their personal shopper that she had enough people who would take on her services as their stylist, even though it would mean paying her more money. It also gave her the opportunity to introduce the socialites to her own line, which would give her one more way to get her name into circulation.

Emmett and Rose's house was perfect for her budding business. So, it was decided that Alice and Jasper would purchase the home; her business would be upstairs while she and her new husband lived downstairs. Best. Commute. Ever.

It seemed as if everyone had their plans in place except for Edward and me. When I tried to bring it up, he would change the subject. It made me feel uncomfortable, not because I thought he was questioning his decision to be with me, but because I liked to know what was happening. I may have changed a lot in the last couple of months, but the organized, control freak Bella still lurked in the shadows.

Thursday, Edward said he had to go to Forks and that he would be back on Saturday, before the cookout. I was disappointed because I was clearly not invited on the trip, although it would have been nice to go and spend time with Charlie. I considered telling Edward that my feelings were hurt, but he seemed distracted prior to leaving and I decided it just wasn't worth the argument it would most likely cause. He was determined to go on his own, so I bid him a farewell and spent the rest of the day doing laundry.

XOXOXOXOX

"Rose! Just let me handle the chicken!" Emmett had declared himself the Grill Master for the day. He had a 'secret recipe' for the three dozen chicken legs he was marinating. It looked to consist of onions, jalapeños, garlic, a bottle seasoning and beer. Four cans of beer, to be exact. Rose kept trying to give him instructions on how to create the marinade and Em was just getting pissed.

"Woman! I have told you for the last time, step away from my chicken!" he hollered again as Rose tried to add some more pepper to the concoction.

I sat at the kitchen table, in my favorite chair with my favorite wineglass clasped in my hand, laughing at my two friends bickering around the kitchen.

"Fine!" Rose threw her hands up and stepped away. "When it tastes like crap, don't come crying to me! I'll get the steaks out and take care of them myself!" She turned toward the fridge.

"Oh, no you don't!" Emmett swooped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He gently, but firmly, lifted her and carried her to the small table and pulled the seat across from me out. "Sit down and let me do this. Please." He released her and Rose turned to look him in the eye. I could tell it was taking everything in her to not smack him for manhandling her. But, within a minute, a smile toyed at the corners of her mouth. "Fine, okay, Em."

"Thank you," Emmett responded, a bit exasperated but with a smile.

He turned back to the plethora of chicken and beef as Rose sat down. "So, have you heard from Edward this afternoon?" He was due back any moment. He had called and texted regularly while he was gone but would only say that he was visiting his folks and possibly meeting the principal of Forks High. He still had not made a firm decision on what he wanted to do about a career. Of course, neither had I. I just kind of assumed we were both waiting until after the first of the year and the wedding.

"Not at all," I stated flatly, trying to hide my disappointment. While Edward had stayed in touch for most of his trip, once he left Forks today, I hadn't heard a word from him. I drained my glass and went to the refrigerator to grab the bottle and pour myself another. So much for my self-imposed sobriety from a month ago.

Rose must have picked up on my poor mood and changed the subject. "Now, Jacob and Angela are both coming, along with Lauren and… what's his name, again?"

"Embry," I said over my shoulder as I refilled my glass and re-corked the bottle, placing it back in the fridge. I sat back down and Rose grabbed a bag of chips from the end of the table, opened them and tilted the bag at me. I grabbed a few and popped them into my mouth.

"Well, what do we know about Angela? Is she nice? I hope she's not a total bitch, like Jessica was." Rose stood and grabbed a glass from the cabinet, filled it with water and sat back down.

"No, I'm pretty sure she's nice. I can't see Jake wasting his time with someone like Jessica."

"Who's like Jessica?" Alice and Jasper came into the kitchen, food containers and beer in hand.

"Glad to see you know how to knock, shorty!" Emmett stated flatly from his spot in the kitchen. He had the steaks in a pan and was pouring some sort of seasoning over them.

"Since when do I need to knock, you big oaf?" Alice shot her older brother a dirty look and placed her items on the counter. "OK girls," she said, turning toward us, and clapping her hands. "I got my mom's recipe for the baked beans and potato salad. Jazz has tasted them both and says they're terrific."

I raised an eyebrow at our little friend. She was known for making magic with fabrics. With food…well, if Jasper didn't do the cooking, they ate out. Rose and I both looked at Jasper for confirmation that the items on the counter were truly edible.

"Trust me, they came out great," he said, smiling, then turned to put the beer away, but not before taking out two - one for Em and one for himself. "Is Edward back yet?" Jasper asked, looking around.

"Nope," I said, popping my 'P' a little harder than I'd intended.

"Well, I just talked to him," Alice said, grabbing a wineglass and the bottle I'd only just put away. She brought both to the table. "He should be here any time now."

"Uh."

"What, Bella?" she asked, filling her glass and taking a sip.

"Nothing. I just haven't heard from him today, that's all."

I watched as Alice looked at Jasper. Jasper shrugged back at her and turned to walk outside to help Emmett start the grill. It was thirty-five degrees outside. In my opinion, they were idiots. Sure, they were idiots with steaks, but they were still idiots.

"Well, I'm sure whatever he's doing, it's important. So, are the others coming tonight, too?" Alice turned to Rose. Once again, the subject had been changed.

Less than twenty minutes later, Edward walked into the house from the back door. He had been outside talking to his brother and friend. He came in with a huge grin on his face and stepped right over to me. "Hey, love," he said and bent to kiss me on the top of my head. I stayed in my seat. Edward straightened up and looked down at me. His eyes squinted and he glanced over at my now-empty glass and the equally empty bottle. He looked back at me. "Bella, is everything OK?"

Rose and Alice exchanged a look before Alice said something about needing to pee and Rose said she would join her. As soon as they left, Edward knelt down next to my chair. I couldn't even look him in the eyes. I felt warm and fuzzy from the alcohol, but I had a hard, cold pit in my stomach. Grabbing my knees, Edward spun me in my chair so I was facing him. "Bells, what's wrong?"

I twisted my fingers together in my lap and stared at them as I tried to form the words in my head. I took in a long breath and plowed forward. "It's just that you left and wouldn't let me come with you and then you didn't call me all day today and I felt lonely and missed you…but you talked to Alice, not me, and I don't know why. I'm mad and scared and maybe you changed your mind and don't really want to be with me and if that's the case just…" I was cut off when he placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look up at him, and his lips crashed onto mine.

Out of instinct, my arms wrapped around his shoulders and I parted my knees so I could pull him closer. His tongue gently flicked across my bottom lip and I let out a pitiful moan as I opened my mouth to him. His hands were at my lower back, pulling me into him and snaking up my t-shirt.

Suddenly, he pulled away, and I felt instantly cold.

"Bells, nothing is going on and I'm not changing my mind. I needed to go see my dad, to get a check-up after all the Jessica crap. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to concern you. I was sure I was clean, but he insisted, as a precaution. Plus I had some other personal things I wanted to take care of, but I never meant to make you feel like I didn't want to be with you any longer. It's quite the opposite, really."

As I was about to ask him what that meant, the doorbell rang.

Edward kissed my nose then stood up. Taking hold of my hands, he helped me up. "It would seem your company is here." His arm snaked around my waist as we walked to the door together.

"I guess so," I replied, making a mental note to revisit this conversation again later. If I could remember, that is, since the wine was making everything a bit fuzzy.

We got to the door at the same time as Rose and Alice. We looked like the freaking welcome wagon. Rose opened the door and the four of them stood on the porch. Jake stood behind Angela with a huge grin plastered on his face. Embry and Lauren were to the left of them, both holding bags. Angela held a foil-covered pan in her hands.

"Bella!" Jake said from over Angela's head.

"Jake!" I yelled back, a little more loudly then I probably should have, but it was great to see him. I turned to Lauren and Embry and said hello to them, too, as Rose held the door open wider, asking them all to step in and get out of the cold.

I introduced everyone and shared an awkward hug with Angela before taking the pan from her hands and walking them all to the kitchen.

"So, I hope that it's okay but I made salsa and brought chips," Embry said, setting his bags down on the counter.

"And beer, don't forget the beer," Lauren said smiling at her boyfriend. They all shed their coats and I took the pile of wool and leather to Rose and Emmett's room.

As I walked back to the kitchen, I could hear Emmett and Jasper singing Embry's praises. I entered the room, to see they were both shoving chips and salsa in their mouths, bobbing their heads up and down in appreciation.

"Damn, man! You need to bottle this shit!" Emmett said around a mouthful, spraying some chips as he spoke.

"Emmett!" Rose slapped the back of his head. "Some manners would be nice!"

Emmett shrugged and dipped another chip into the salsa before popping it into his mouth.

"Bella," Angela said, turning to me, she placed a hand on my arm. "Can I talk to you a moment?"

I looked at her; she was the same height as me, with straight dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. Kind eyes.

"Sure," I said and led her to the living room.

Angela turned to me and smiled. "Bella, I just wanted to make sure that we're OK. I don't want this to be awkward since you and Jake were dating while he was visiting me and Chase."

"God, no, Angela. We were never really dating, anyway. I mean, I wish he'd told me about the two of you up front, but I understand why he didn't."

She seemed to relax a bit. "Great, I'm glad. I like everything I've heard about you and I'd like to think we could be friends."

I smiled back at her. "Me, too. So, what's up with you and Jake, anyway?" I tilted my head toward her and lowered my voice as I asked. I think I even waggled my eyebrows. Angela laughed in return.

"Well, none of _that_ is happening if you're alluding to what I think you are. But things are good, we're getting there." She gave me an evil grin.

"Oh, Angela, you're a dirty girl, aren't you?" I said, putting my arm around her shoulders as we walked back to the kitchen.

"He can only hope!" she said and we both laughed loudly. Jake looked at both of us questioningly but didn't bother to ask what we were talking about.

The evening ended with the boys shooting zombies in the game room and the girls talking sex in the living room. It seemed Angela was the only one who wasn't getting any and she enjoyed living vicariously through the rest of us.

"Oh, Angela," Alice said, patting her leg, "with the height of that boy, I'm sure it will be worth the weight. I bet he's HUNG!" Her sentence ended with a _woot_ and a belch.

Angela, who was also nicely toasted, giggled. "Oh, girls, I haven't seen it in a decade, but it could only get better with age, right?"

Rose, the only sober one in the room, scoffed. "Well, that depends. Twenty-five is better than fifteen, but if you're talking forty-five, forget it. The dick does not get _that_ good with age."

"Well," Lauren hiccupped, "if you want to talk good-looking cocks, my Embry has the_ best_ one I've ever seen! And, trust me…I've seen a lot of cock!" She slapped the coffee table in front of her to emphasize her point.

"Hey, Lauren," Rose the Coherent said. "You do realize you just called yourself a slut, right?"

Alice picked up the wine bottle she had switched to, having given up on using a glass about an hour ago. She tipped it toward Lauren who held out her bottle of beer. "Well, if the cock fits…" Alice trilled in her pixie voice.

"Then fuck it!" Lauren exclaimed, clinking her bottle against Alice's as we all broke into laughter.

XOXOXOXOX

"Bella!" Someone was yelling at me.

And shaking me. Why the fuck were they shaking me?!

"Bella! Wake up, love!" Edward's voice rang through my ear and I wished he would shut the hell up. My head was throbbing.

"Go away!" I said as loudly as I could, which was just over a whisper, and pulled the blankets over my head. He laughed at me and his hands snaked under them, finding my sides as he began to gently tickle me.

"Bellllaaaaa… you have to get up. You have lunch with the girls. Rose has already knocked on the door downstairs once and Alice has texted at least three times."

_Lunch. _Damn it! We had made lunch plans before the drinking got out of control last night. How Alice could be up and texting after everything she drank, I had no idea. For someone so tiny, she could handle her alcohol.

"What time is it?" I vaguely remembered crawling into bed around two in the morning very drunk since we had not stopped drinking until everyone left. The guys, however, had quit drinking hours earlier so the ones who needed to would be able to drive.

"It's almost ten-thirty. Alice's last text said she would be here at eleven. I let you sleep in as long as I could."

"Fuck me now," I grumbled from under the covers, as I tried to shake off his fingers from their tender assault on my sides.

"I would love to, but you'd never be ready by eleven." His fingers stopped tickling long enough to grab my tit. He kissed my head and let go of me. "Now, get your ass out of bed!"

Thirty-five minutes later, I was dressed in dark wash jeans and a tan cowl neck sweater with a belt at the hips. My favorite boots on my feet and my hair pulled up into a tight and high pony tail finished it all off. I grabbed my sunglasses and purse and kissed Edward goodbye as I headed downstairs to meet the girls.

"Well, look who decided to grace us with her presence," Alice chided me, but then broke into a grin. "You look good, Bella. Nice job with the concealer under your eyes, just about hides the dark circles."

"Screw you, Alice," I said with a smile and put on my sunglasses.

"Now, now girls, let's get to lunch!" Rose sauntered into the room looking fabulous as always and walked to the front door to guide us out. She wore four-inch heels with her skinny jeans and long tunic sweater. Everything fit her perfectly. Plus, she was hangover free. Bitch.

We climbed into the car and headed to downtown Seattle.

"Lauren and Angela said they would meet us! They're real gems. If I could, I would invite them to the wedding. Is that weird?" Alice prattled on and on and I silently prayed that my head wouldn't split open. I busied myself by texting Edward. I was curious to see what his thoughts were on his little sister. Mostly, I wanted to know if I should kill her slowly or quickly and was he really so attached to her that he would miss her? In the end, he'd convinced me that I wouldn't be permitted conjugal visits in prison, so I gave up on the idea.

We settled into our table at our favorite bistro in Seattle. Angela and Lauren came in a few minutes behind us and we fell into easy conversation as we ate. The waiter offered us all mimosas, to which we all yelled out a loud "No thanks!"

Nearly two hours later, we were all walking toward the door when in walked Jessica. I didn't see her at first. Rose smacked me on the arm as I heard Alice mutter, "No fucking way!"

Angela and Lauren knew enough of the story after our drunk-fest last night that they tensed up immediately. I stood in the entryway of the bistro, flanked by four great friends as Jessica and the blonde she was with walked toward us.

"Bella, Alice, Rose," she said, with a fake grin plastered on her face. She obviously hated acknowledging us, but to ignore us would have gone against all of her refined Emily Post upbringing.

"Jessica," Alice spoke for me, which was just as well, because the name I wanted to use would have been so much worse. "How are you?"

"Oh, doing great! This is James, his family owns cattle in Texas. And oil," she said, as she pointed to the man behind her. He shot us all a smile and a chill ran down my spine. His hair was shaved close to his head and he wore an expensive tan suit with a blue oxford. His shoes were brown leather cowboy boots and he wore a thick gold chain around his neck. All he was missing was his Stetson.

James held a hand out to us, shaking each in turn. When he got to Alice, she held it a little longer. "James? Wait, are you James Perot? Of the Perot legacy? Your family is one of the wealthiest in Texas." Alice pumped his hand a few more times before releasing it; I caught sight of her nonchalantly wiping her own hand down her hip and tried to hide my snort. His hands were sweaty.

"I am that James, indeed," he drawled out.

"Well, what brings you to Seattle?" Alice was seriously going to engage this idiot in conversation as the rest of us stood there, staring at one another.

"Well, Pops is doing some business with Mr. Stanley. He invited us up to stay at his estate this weekend. And Jessica is showing me around."

"I'm sure she is," I heard Lauren say to my right. Rose choked on a laugh. Jessica raised an eyebrow at us before tossing her long hair over her shoulder.

"Well, Daddy and I have been down to Texas already and James and I get on just fine…"

"That's what she said." This time it was Angela. I put my hand over my mouth to keep from giggling.

"Anyway, we're enjoying spending time together. James is a good man, better than anyone _else_ I've dated." Jessica was obviously becoming more annoyed.

"Or fucked," Rose mumbled next to me and this time I couldn't hold the laughter back.

James looked between his date and the rest of us and seemed a little uncomfortable. "Jessica, I believe I'll get us a table. Come on when you're ready. It was nice meetin' y'all," James said, before he turned and the hostess led him away.

We all watched him go and once he was out of earshot, Jessica turned back to us. The mask of sweet and kind slipped, her face stone hard and cold and I could see the hatred in her eyes. As she spoke it was like venom moving past her lips.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is with me. Edward ended things after _cheating_, not me." Her hands were on her hips and she tapped her foot. I just shook my head.

"Whatever Jessica, we all know the truth." I surprised myself at the evenness of my tone as I stared at her. Inside I was shaking like a leaf, outside I was a picture of calm. I held her gaze until she shifted uncomfortably and then looked at Alice.

"So, what's he doing now? I'm sure he's having one hell of a time trying to find a job." She spoke with an air of hostility and had a smirk on her face. I realized she had no idea about the prize Alice had found in the closet. Or the inheritance that all the Cullen kids had received.

"He's weighing his options," Alice spoke with a levity that contradicted her body language as she stared back at Jessica, never breaking eye contact. "He's actually considering teaching."

"Teaching!" Jessica chortled and put a hand to her chest, "Well, I'll be. I guess I dodged _that_ bullet!"

"That's enough!" Rose stepped forward so she was nearly nose-to-nose with Jessica. Jessica shrank back from my friend. "You don't know the first thing about Edward." Rose pointed a finger at Jessica, nearly poking her in the chest as she continued. "You never did. You used him as your boy toy, to show off to your friends. You made him believe you loved him when what you really loved was being able to parade him around on your arm. You're a selfish, cold-hearted bitch, Jessica and it's _Edward_ who dodged the bullet - Not you!"

Rose turned to look at the four of us behind her. My mouth was hanging open as were the mouths of my friends on either side of me.

James was suddenly back at her side. "Jessica? Is everything OK?"

Rose looked at him and answered, since Jessica was a lovely shade of pale gray and seemed to have lost the ability to speak. "Everything is great James. Good luck with this one."

Rose walked off, Lauren and Angela in tow, laughing.

"Yeah," Alice said to him, "and you might want to get tested for STDs if you screw her. She has a tendency to get around. Just ask Laurent and Bree."

Jessica made a choking sound and James looked confused. Alice walked off, leaving me with the two of them.

"By the way, Jess, Edward loves me. He's _always_ loved me. You were merely a distraction. As you live your life of secret affairs and fancy tea parties, I'll be married to a wonderful man and we'll be making a beautiful life together. Fifteen, twenty years from now, you'll be drinking yourself to sleep every night because you're on your fourth loveless marriage, your kids hate you and your socialite friends talk shit behind your back. It will be in those times of drunken half sleep that your mind will go back to the beautiful boy you could have had, who would have treated you like a queen. The boy you treated like a piece of meat, no more than a lap dog that you could dress up and parade around. And when that happens, when you find yourself laying in a puddle of tearful regret, I want you to think of me." I leaned into her ear. "Think of me, Jessica. I'll be the one with Edward's glorious cock buried deep inside her. I'll be the one he makes come as his name spills off my lips. And think of Edward, he'll be the one telling me he loves me over and over as he finds his release inside of me. And then, finally, _Jessica_, picture Edward and me, happy."

I pulled back from her, the smile on my face was so broad it hurt.

Her face a ghostly white.

"Have a nice life, Jessica."

I walked out the door and left the bitch behind, mouth gaping, as my friends high-fived me. The five of us left laughing, arms hooked at the elbows.

* * *

**Thanks to all my faithful Peeps!  
Please leave a review - I like your thoughts and theories and even just the occasional smiley face that let's me know you're there.  
Thanks to my wonderful beta, mauigirl60... she is the jelly to my jam; the wind under my wings; the Easter to my Bunny.  
;-) Basically, she's wonderful.**

**Thanks to my support system of theonlykyla and sparklingwand, who both keep me sane... or add to my insanity... it's a fine line.**

**And to my BFF, she knows who she is... you are my biggest fan of all and I heart you for it!**

**Wow... this was a love fest... too much chocolate today. :)**

**BTW, I'm on Facebook RvrSong FanFiction... incase you want to check out the pics that have inspired this story.**

**Hugs!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Welcome back!  
I don't own the original characters... I'm sure you have figured that out by now. :)**

* * *

Chapter 23

"Merry Christmas Eve, love."

Edward's soft, warm breath washed against my ear. I was on my stomach, snuggled under the warm covers and still half-asleep. I grunted in response to his voice. The intrusion of the morning sun shone through the blinds and seemed to permeate my eyelids, making me turn my head so I faced the wall instead of him.

"Bells," he said, sliding closer and nudging into my neck, "we have to leave for Forks soon. Remember? It's already nine, sweetness." He pulled the blanket down and exposed my shoulder so he could kiss it. Even though it was cold as shit, I still only wore a tank top with my flannel pants to bed. The covers kept me warm and sometimes I just got too hot; having bare shoulders helped keep me cool. It was a girl thing.

"Leave me alone," I grumbled, grabbing the corners of my pillow. I pulled the pillow out and put it over my head, pulling it down on me tightly. Everything was dark once again - and quiet.

His hand began to rub up and down my hip before he slid it between me and the mattress, sliding up my body until he cupped my tit. He was such a breast man.

"Bells, I'd really like it if you woke up," his hand cupped and rubbed me as he peppered kisses on my shoulder, "I'd like to make love to you before we leave."

I had no control over the moan that slipped past my lips. Hearing him talk that way to me warmed me to my core. His fondling caused a stirring low in my belly and I shifted my hip so I could back my ass up into him. He groaned as I rubbed against his now very prominent erection. His hand slid under the waistband of my pajama pants and down to my sex. He wasted no time and slid a finger under the side of my panties, dipping it inside me. My response, in turn, was automatic as I turned more onto my side and put my leg over his, effectively opening myself up to him.

"Mmmmm… Bella," he breathed into my ear as he nibbled at the lobe, "you're so wet already."

We made quick work of removing our clothes, kicked off the blankets and moved through our normal foreplay with a sense of urgency. The desperate need we had for each other was in every kiss and touch. Within minutes, Edward was hovering over me, a smile on his glorious face. Turning everything from fast and frantic to slow and tender, he lowered himself onto his elbows, bringing his face within an inch of mine. He planted soft kisses on my cheeks and eyelids as he teased me, rubbing his length against my slit without entering me. A low growl of frustration erupted from my chest. All I could think about was pulling him to me tightly and guiding his length into my core. I just needed to get him as close as I possibly could, short of crawling into his skin.

"Edward, please," I begged and tilted my hips up as I wrapped my legs around him, my feet hooking at his lower back. I needed him inside me, I couldn't wait a minute longer.

"I love you, Bells. Forever."

He pulled his hips back slightly and I loosened my legs, making it easier for him to slide into me. It felt wonderful and overwhelming and like coming home after a long trip. I was happy and my heart swelled with joy, so much so that a tear slipped from my eye. Edward's lips fluttered against my face as he kissed away the single tear. His pace was slow and excruciating in the most delicious way and I trembled under him. He lowered his head next to mine, his mouth beside my ear and whispered, "Forever, Bella."

XOXOXOXOX

We pulled into the driveway of my old home around one in the afternoon. Looking at the place where I'd lived during my four years of high school, I suddenly felt like the world's worst daughter.

I had barely spoken with my dad over the last couple of weeks. Usually, he checked in with me if I didn't call him every few days. However, since I'd told him about quitting my job, we'd only talked one other time and that was cut short by another incoming call on his end. I'd been so busy with wedding stuff, cookouts and enjoying the company of my boyfriend that I'd neglected my daughterly duties. Come to think of it, I hadn't spoken to Phil in weeks, either.

_Damn it._

"Ready, Bells?" Edward asked, breaking me from my inner reproach. There was nothing I could do to change the past, I would make the best of my time today with Charlie and be sure I called Phil also.

"Yup, I just need to get my stuff from the back." I climbed out of Edward's Jeep and walked to the back. He lifted open the door and pulled out my rolling suitcase. We were spending the next five days in Forks before heading back to Seattle for the wedding. Everyone was coming in for Christmas and staying as long as their schedules permitted. Since Edward and I currently didn't have jobs, we were staying the longest.

As I grabbed the big brown bag filled with gifts for Sue and my dad, I noticed Edward was not getting his suitcase out of the back. "Aren't you going to get your stuff and bring it in?" I asked, reaching back in for the last gift I had for my dad. It was a Fenwick Elite Tech salmon casting rod and reel. There was a lot of other mumbo jumbo technical stuff written on the packaging, that I couldn't begin to understand, which drove the price up over one hundred and sixty dollars. To be honest, I glazed over as the sales guy at the sporting goods shop in Seattle started babbling on about how this was one of the best rods made and why. I'd just smiled and nodded and told Mr. Rod and Reel Aficionado Sales Guy I'd take it, he beamed in joy and assured me I'd made a great choice. I hoped Charlie felt the same way.

Edward reached around my back and closed the door to the rear section of the Jeep before he turned to me. "Bella, you know your dad will never be cool with my staying here. Not that I don't want to, but Charlie is a dad and you _are_ his little girl…"

"I'm not a teenager…"

"I know, but he won't go for it and you know that." His tone was sympathetic but firm. The discussion was over and just in time, since the front door opened and Sue was calling out my name.

"Bella! Hey, girl! How are you?" She pulled me into an awkward hug since my hands were full; a large brown bag between us and a fishing pole smacking me in the side of my head.

"Good, Sue, I'm good."

She turned to Edward next. "Edward, glad you can spend Christmas Eve with us!"

"Well, I appreciate the invitation, Sue." Sue gave Edward a quick hug. Just then, I heard the familiar voice of my father boom from the front porch, "Well, if it isn't my long-lost daughter!"

I looked past Sue and smiled at my dad. He was in dark wash jeans, which were a lot more stylish than the faded, worn-out ones he usually donned, and a burgundy v-neck sweater with a white t-shirt underneath; he looked very GQ.

I walked over to him as he came down the steps and met me on the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry, sir, but have you seen my father? He's the one in the twenty-year-old jeans and Seahawks sweatshirt with the pizza sauce stains on it; you couldn't miss him." I smiled smugly at him, my words dripping with sarcasm.

"You better be careful there kid, or I'm gonna shove that fishing pole where the sun don't shine." His mustache twitched as he spoke, doing his best to sound irritated.

"Are you sure you even remember how to use these things? I mean, you are, after all, wearing…"

I broke off, looking down to see the pièce de résistance. "…LOAFERS!" I shouted.

A loud laughed bubbled from my chest causing me to snort as I guffawed.

Sue came to stand by Charlie, putting an arm around his waist as she patted his chest with the other hand. "Hey! I think he looks dashing! Edward! Doesn't Charlie look dashing?"

I looked behind me at Edward, who had blanched. He looked at me, then Sue, and last at Charlie, before he spoke. "Oh, no, you're not getting me into this conversation. There's no win for me here. I'm just going to take this bag on up to Bella's room. I'll be inside." And, with that, he shook his head and walked around all of us and into the house.

We all watched him walk into the house before Charlie and Sue turned back to me.

"So, I guess that thing is for me?" Charlie tilted his head toward the rod and reel.

"Yeah, there was no way to wrap it without taking out an eye. Merry Christmas, Dad. It's supposed to be the best for salmon fishing." I held the fishing pole out to my father. He took it from me and let out a whistle.

"It's a Fenwick. Nice, Bella. Thanks!" Sue had stepped to the side so he could reach around and hug me. He patted me on the back before pulling away and ruffling my hair. "C'mon, let's get inside. It's freezing out here and I don't trust that boy in there alone."

….

A couple of hours later, I was helping Sue in the kitchen. Since I was going to celebrate Christmas with the Cullen's the next day, we were going all-out at the Swan home tonight. Billy was coming over along with Jake, Angela and Chase. Sue was putting out a big spread of food, with everything from simple crackers with cheese spread to a roasted turkey breast and traditional Quileute dishes. A couple of times I went to check on my dad and Edward only for them to freeze up when I walked into the room. They were acting a bit odd and I desperately wondered what was going on between them.

I hoped Edward was trying to convince my dad to let him stay here. Then, I considered the amount of guns and ammo my father had in this house and decided Edward was probably right. It was safest for him to stay at his parents'.

By six, everyone had arrived at the house. Jacob and Edward were finally falling into easy conversation while Angela and I caught up. She confided in me that she was considering taking things with Jake to the "next step". She just wasn't sure how to approach it with him.

"Angela," I said softly, as we sat on the stairs in the front hall, "I'm sure he is more than ready for that as well. I really don't think you need to worry about it, you'll both know when the time is right."

"It's just hard," she said, looking around to make sure we were alone. "With Chase, we have to plan this sort of thing. There's no spontaneity. We can't just do it when we feel like it. It makes it difficult because then we're forced to talk about it ahead of time, giving plenty of time for the other person to back out." Her fingers were laced together as she cradled her knees, leaning onto them slightly. I rubbed her back in gentle circles.

"Angela, he wants you and he's not going to back out. He wants a future with you and Chase. You need to give him the chance. Open yourself up to him. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

As if on cue, Jake walked around the corner. "There you two are! We were getting worried, thought maybe you had wandered out in the woods and got eaten by a wolf or something."

I stood up, scoffing at him. "You're the only big bad something I see around here." I stepped around him so I could give them some space. Patting him on the arm I said, "She's all yours. Literally. Do with her what you will." Jake looked down at me and I saw a glimmer in his eyes. A smile spread across his face. "Oh, I will," he said, as I walked back into the den.

After food and gifts, we all sat around talking and laughing as a fire crackled and popped in the fireplace. Sue was perched on my dad's lap as they sat in the recliner together. I looked Charlie over and saw nothing but happiness in his face. He watched Sue as she talked and his face held nothing but love for her. His arm was wrapped around her and his hand rubbed gently on her hip. There was a lull in conversation and Charlie cleared his throat.

"If I could have everyone's attention for just a moment, I have something I'd like to say."

Angela and I were next to each other on the couch and the guys were on the floor with Chase, where he had been showing them the new game his Grandpa Billy had given him for his Nintendo DS3D. Billy was in the other recliner, feet up, with his shirt pulled out of his pants. I'm pretty sure the belt was undone as well as the button of his jeans.

Charlie started to fidget and wouldn't look anyone in the eye. The air shifted in the room and it felt as if things grew more serious, as if something heavy was hanging over us all.

"OK, Dad, what's up? You're kinda freaking me out." Announcements like this could go either way, good or bad. But, with my luck, it was going to be bad, and I just couldn't handle it, not now and not with Charlie.

"Um, well, you see…" He shifted as much as he could in the chair with Sue on his lap and ran his free hand through his hair. He sucked in a breath and then let it go. "OK, well, I think you've all figured out that Sue has pretty much moved in. Here. With me… Yeah." He looked at me and I smiled, giving him a slight nod to go on.

"OK, well, you see, I really love Sue… I mean, her… I mean…" He looked up at Sue, who was looking down at him in confusion. "Sue, I love you, I really do. You take great care of me and you cook great. But, I mean, that's not the only reason why. You're fun and you like to watch football with me and you can fish. That's good, too. I mean, it's great to have a woman that can fish. But… well… I mean you do the nice girl things, too… and you're pretty…"

At that, Angela and I started giggling. My dad was stumbling all over himself, and it was just too damned cute.

Charlie stopped and glowered at us. We shut up and sat back against the sofa.

"So, like I was saying; Sue, I love you. I love everything about you. But, there's just one thing, you see…" His hand reached into the space between the cushion and the arm of the chair. When he pulled it out, he held a small box. "What I would really love is if you married me. That would make me happier than anything else. Even more than your cooking. Which, by the way, is great."

He put the box in front of her and since his other arm was wrapped around her, Sue had to take the box and open it. I could see her hands shaking and once the box was opened, she let out a small gasp.

She looked to my dad and smiled. "Yes, Charlie, yes! I will marry you!"

For the second time that day I shed a tear, this time it was as I watched Sue lean in to kiss my dad. He plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. Sue held out her hand to admire the ring, while my dad was admiring his fiancée. I walked over to them and bent down, hugging Sue first and then my dad. "I'm so happy for you both, really."

"Thanks, Bella, that means a lot," Sue said. I looked at Charlie who managed to tear his eyes away from the woman he loved long enough to mumble, "Thanks, kid." I would have given him a hard time for practically ignoring me but, at that moment, my phone began vibrating in my pocket.

"Excuse me," I said as I walked into the kitchen to take the call. It was Lillian.

"Hello? Lillian?"

"Bella! Merry almost-Christmas!" Lillian sounded positively exuberant.

"Merry almost-Christmas to you, too! I meant to call you and Phil, I just haven't had the chance." I tugged at my bottom lip with my thumb and forefinger. I really was a horrible step-daughter.

"No worries! We've been busy here. Phil has his rehab, but he's up with the cane now and gets around good. But, honey, that's not why I'm calling. Hold on." I could hear rustling and Lillian speaking, she seemed to be telling Phil to get on the phone.

"OK, Bella? Phil's on the line, too. Say 'Hi', Phil!"

"Hi, Phil!" Phil said into the line, causing Lillian to break into a fit of giggles, followed by a proclamation on how funny he was.

"Oh, my! Anyway, Bella, we wanted to tell you together. Are you ready, Phil?"

"Sure am, sweetheart!"

"OK, well, then, one – two – three!"

At the same time, they both said, "We're getting married!"

My jaw dropped as I realized that _both_ of my dads were now getting married. My head swam as I thought of two weddings in the same year. Not just any weddings, but the weddings of people who were everything to me.

"Wow, guys! Congratulations!" Edward came into the kitchen and raised a brow at me. I pointed at the phone and then raised my left hand, wiggling my fingers as I mouthed, "Phil and Lillian engaged." His eyebrows shot up with surprise and then he said, "Tell them I said congratulations!"

He kissed me on the temple before heading for the coffee pot.

"Edward says congratulations, and so do I. When's the big day?"

"Well," Lillian's voice was bubbling with joy, "we were thinking Valentine's. I mean, I know it's cheesy and all, but I just love that day. The day of love…"

"Plus, we thought it would give you time to recuperate from Alice's wedding before you came down for ours. I mean, if you _want_ to come. We'd love to have you." For the first time in a long time, Phil's voice didn't have the usual confidence I'd always heard in it.

"Phil, of course I'll be there! I mean, I _think_ I'll be there, I just have one thing to check…"

"Oh," Lillian broke in, interrupting me, "Bella, honey, if you can't make it, that's fine."

"Guys, I _will_ be there, as long as Charlie and Sue aren't getting married on the same day."

Phil hollered, "I'll be damned!" as Lillian squealed with delight. I could picture her bouncing up and down and decided I would have to take Alice to meet Lillian. They would get along perfectly.

A few minutes later, we were bidding our farewells. Phil said that my gift was on its way, but got shipped late. I told him a gift wasn't necessary. After all, he'd shipped me the rest of my mom's things; that alone had been priceless and the best gift he ever could've given me. "Nonsense," he said, before telling me he loved me and then hanging up the phone.

I spent some more time with everyone, discussing wedding plans with Sue and my dad and reassured Angela that things would be great for her and Jake. By the time she left, Billy had offered to keep Chase over the rest of Christmas break, giving Angela and Jake a week alone in Seattle.

I winked at her as I hugged her good bye and whispered, "Let the reconnecting begin."

She giggled and moved to say goodbye to Sue and my dad. Jake stood in front of me and handed me a small box. "This is for you, Bella, so you'll always remember me." He pulled me into a tight hug and rocked me gently. When he released me, I opened the small red box. In it was a silver charm bracelet. On it were three charms: a motorcycle, a slice of pizza and an eight ball. I held it up and looked at the mementos of our time together, sparkling as the light bounced off the links and charms.

"There were other things I thought of, but I couldn't find a beer bottle, a tree or a video game controller. I didn't have enough time, but I thought these worked out nicely."

I wrapped my hand around it, smiling up at my accidental friend. "Jacob Black, I sure am glad that I found you. Thank you for my gift and for… everything." I threw my arms around him as I buried my face in his chest. In the short time I had known him, Jake had taught me so much about letting go and living life.

As I pulled away from him, I sneezed once; followed by six more in succession.

"Wow, are you allergic to me?" He laughed and looked down at me.

"I guess so," I said, rubbing my nose. Edward was suddenly there with a tissue.

"Hey, you two… you done groping my woman, Jake?" Edward's tone was laced with a lightness that let both Jake and I know he was joking.

"Well, I was just telling her that I'm a taken man and she needed to quit grabbing me." Jacob was stepping back, waving his hands between us like I was something vile that he needed to get away from.

"That's not even right, Jacob!" I turned to Edward. "Look what Jake gave me, isn't it nice?" I watched Edward's face so I could see what his reaction would be to the gift. After all, it was jewelry; guys can be funny about that stuff. I was surprised when he cupped his hand around it and smiled.

"It's lovely, Bella. A nice memory of your friendship. Good job, Jacob!" Edward reached out and shook Jake's hand, a smile was shared between them before Jake turned to leave with Angela and their son.

As soon as they were out the door with Billy, Dad turned to me. "It's time to call it a night, Bella." He looked at Edward. "I'll give you two a few minutes, but it's late."

Sue pulled Charlie next to her, placing her hand on his chest. "Charlie, can you help me in the kitchen? I have a few things to do before we head to bed." Sue winked at me and pulled my father behind her. I grabbed my coat and Edward grabbed his, then he took my hand and we went out to his car.

He leaned his back against the driver's side door and pulled me into him, wrapping his arms tightly around me, lowering his face to mine. "Finally," he said softly, before bringing his lips to mine. We stood like that for what felt like an infinite amount of time, just kissing and cuddling before I began to sneeze again. Then I started coughing.

Edward pulled back and looked down at me, "Bells, are you getting sick?"

I coughed and cleared my throat. "Lord, I hope not, Alice would never forgive me if I was sick for her wedding."

Edward laughed, "No, she'd tell you to get the fuck over it and walk down the damned aisle. In fact, I'm pretty sure you'd have to be missing an arm or a leg with the threat of bleeding all over the venue for her to consider not killing you herself. "

I sneezed and sniffled. "Exactly. I better get inside, then."

He kissed me one last time, a kiss that heated me to my toes, and released me.

I watched him leave from the foyer window, waving, though I was sure he probably couldn't see me, and then headed to the kitchen to see if Dad had any vitamins.

Flipping on the light, I checked the cabinets and finally found what I was looking for: an overabundance of vitamin C and zinc and other cold medicines. I took the vitamins and two of the cold medicine pills before I ran across a bottle of antibiotics. It was Dads, amoxicillin according to the label which was filled a couple of months ago. There were still ten capsules in the bottle and I decided since he clearly wasn't taking them any longer, I would. After all, my need was life or death, both of which would be granted me by Alice, depending on whether or not I was sick for her wedding. Stealing Dad's meds was a lot better than facing the wrath of Alice. I opened the bottle and popped one in my mouth, swallowing it down with water before I capped the bottle again, sticking it in my pocket. I refilled my glass of water and headed up to my room.

I met my father on the landing as he stepped out of the bathroom.

"Hey, Bella, I never asked you if you were okay with my…you know, asking Sue to marry me." He shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

"Well, Dad, it's a little late now, don't you think?" His eyes met mine, his face awash with panic. "Calm down, Pops, it's all good. I'm happy for you; for both of you."

He smiled and hugged me. "Thanks, kid." He turned to go into his room and I remembered about the bottle of medication in my pocket. I pulled them out and held them up.

"Hey, Dad, I found these antibiotics in the cabinet, do you still need them?" As if to punctuate my need for healing, I set off on another round of sneezes.

"Nope. That was a couple of months ago; had a tooth pulled and with the heart murmur and all, I had to have them. You can take them, maybe they'll help clear up whatever you're coming down with. You don't want to be sick for Alice's wedding. She'll kill you." Charlie held real concern in his eyes and I laughed.

Shaking the bottle at him, I said, "That's why I'm taking these little friends, here. They should fix me right up. Thanks, Dad."

"No problem. 'Night Bella."

I changed into my pajamas and got ready for bed. I wasn't tired, oddly enough, so I opened my laptop. Old habits soon had me logging onto my favorite fiction writer sites. The internet was teeming with sites where both novice and skilled writers could post their own short stories. Some were original stories, while many were fan-based. They ranged from excellent, thought-provoking tales of love and betrayal all the way to smut which was clearly thought up by a roomful of fifteen-year-old girls having a sleepover. I'd learned how to weed those out rather quickly. Trolling these sites was my favorite way to find potential new writers and, although I no longer worked for a publishing house, I wanted to check in on my favorites.

As I read through an update on one of the stories I was following, an idea began to needle itself into my brain. Why couldn't _**I**_write a story? I'd always been more on the reading side, but something always seemed to be missing. I thought perhaps it was because I wanted to own my own publishing house, be in control of what authors were picked up and the types of stories promoted.

Maybe my need for control was not from the publishing aspect, but from the writing perspective? It was an idea I hadn't considered. However, I spent the next three hours typing furiously on my laptop, keys clicking as I worked on five different documents at once.

By the time I finally found myself too exhausted to keep my eyes open, I had written an entire story outline, twenty-five chapters with the possibility to add more. The characters were all developed, right down to the gay couple at the Halloween party who had only a brief showing in the story, but they were worth it. I smiled as I looked at the working title of the story, my story: The Story of Us.

My smile grew as I reread the first chapter I had hastily written. The main characters were best friends; later, lovers, and maybe someday more. Quite honestly, it had been modeled after the story of Edward and myself.

I fell asleep somewhere around four with a feeling of completeness that I hadn't quite experienced before.

XOXOXOXOX

"It always comes in threes, Bella." Alice and Rose had pulled me into one of the spare rooms on the second floor of the Cullen home to discuss the engagements of both my dad and stepfather.

I woke up only four hours after I had fallen asleep and downed more vitamins and another antibiotic before showering and dressing. Thank God for my dad, who'd made a large pot of coffee and for Sue, who had made the best cinnamon rolls. I had eaten two on my way to my Christmas Day destination. I arrived at the Cullen home twenty minutes late, a large cup of coffee in my hand, telling everyone to leave me alone until I'd had my coffee. That had lasted all of ten minutes until Emmett found me hiding in the kitchen, and he threw me over his shoulder. It was present time and he escorted me to my official spot on the floor in front of the fifteen-foot Christmas tree.

There were "oohs" and "ahhs" over the gifts that Edward had purchased in Arizona. As expected, Emmett loved his, and giggled for nearly a half hour while he repeated the word "fetish".

I received clothing from Alice and Rose. Esme and Carlisle gave me and the other girls matching silver necklaces with the family crest on them, a diamond perched at the top of each. In addition, the boys received a leather strap bracelet with the family crest. "I've been spending more time researching our family, it's really a rich heritage and I wanted all of you to feel a part of it." Carlisle looked around at each of us. "Family doesn't have to share blood." There were also gift cards to our favorite stores and restaurants.

"Bella," Alice had said at one point, calling out over the loud conversation, "I like those boots you have on. Are they new?"

I smiled and looked at my feet, "Yeah, they were from Sue. She also gave me a new scarf and hat that you would approve of as well."

Alice smiled at me and nodded.

While we were in the midst of wrapping paper and bows, Edward and I retold the story of Charlie and Sue's engagement, as well as Phil and Lillian's. "How exciting, Bella! You must be so happy for them both," Esme smiled, before reaching to smack Emmett.

"Mom!? What was that for?" Emmett whined, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't think I didn't hear what you just said to your brother, language like that is not allowed in this house and you know it!" Esme got up and headed to the kitchen, as Emmett began to mumble something barely audible. "Excuse me?" Esme looked at her eldest, her hands on her hips.

"Nothing, Mom. Sorry."

Shortly after, my two friends pulled me away to get the dirt on the engagements. That was where I found myself, in a spare room, flanked by them both.

"I heard Edward telling Jazz that he had something important to discuss with the family later." Alice was bouncing in the way only Alice could.

"I'm telling you… everything comes in threes," Rose said to the bouncing pixie, all but ignoring me. "Remember earlier in the year when our neighbor died? And then that patient of mine, the old guy. Then, that dog got hit down the road! THREES! I'm telling you."

"Rose," I said and she turned to look at me as if she had just noticed I was there. "Mrs. Franklin was ninety-five. Your patient was a hundred pounds overweight with a heart problem, he dropped dead while trying to hike twenty miles through a mountain range. And the dog? Well, that dog was deaf and blind and never stood a chance." There was no way I was letting them pull me into their world of crazy assumptions.

"Face it Bella… important announcement AND two other engagements?! He is sooooo proposing to you today!" Alice and Rose squealed and began to bounce up and down, holding hands.

"He said he had something important to discuss which could mean anything and not everything comes in threes." Even as I said it, though, I felt the warmth of hope taking root in my heart. I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with Edward. But was I ready for that now? And what would I say if and when he asked?

"Come on you two, let's get back down there." I wasn't going to stay up here playing guessing games with these two any longer.

As we went down the steps I asked if either of them heard what Emmett mumbled to Edward. I had been talking to Alice, so it had gotten past me, but it clearly didn't get past Esme.

"Oh, he said something about Edward being a pussy and manning up," Rose said and laughed.

I walked downstairs and into the kitchen wondering if Edward was going to take his brothers advice. "There you are," Esme smiled at me. "Dinner is ready, can you help me carry things into the dining room?"

"Of course."

As I helped her, the rest of the family came in to join us. The chattering of conversations around me should have overwhelmed me, but instead calmed me and brought me peace. This was exactly where I was supposed to be.

Carlisle blessed the food and we all dug in, passing platters and bowls.

We had just settled in when Edward, who was sitting to my right, placed his left hand on my thigh and cleared his throat.

"Excuse me, everyone. I have something I wanted to tell you all and I think this is the right time." He looked at his parents, who smiled back at him.

I looked at Alice and Rose who both looked as if they were about to jump out of their seats.

"Go on, son," Carlisle encouraged.

"Well, you're all very aware of everything that has occurred over the last few months. I found myself without a job, and the life I thought I'd planned out no longer in front of me. I now have an open road full of possibilities ahead, and next to me the woman I love." He squeezed my leg and looked down at me, giving me that crooked smile I loved so much.

My heart sped up… _this is it_… as much as I didn't want to buy into the crazy "rule of threes", I couldn't help the excitement that washed over me. I smiled at Edward, preparing myself for the words I hoped to hear next.

"Well, I've made a decision, it was one of the reasons I was here, in Forks, the other week." He paused and looked around. "You see, I found my future, it has all become quite clear."

_This is it! This is it!_

I looked at Rose and Alice again, they were both smiling at me like idiots. I smiled back and was sure I looked just as crazy as they did.

"Well, spit it out little brother, I'm hungry and want seconds." Leave it to Emmett to break the mood. I inwardly rolled my eyes.

Edward pulled in a breath and sat up straighter. He grabbed my hand, holding it tightly.

"I've spoken with the school board and begun the certification requirements. I'm going to be the computer resource teacher at Forks High the next school year. I'll be heading their technology department as well as teaching an advanced graphic design course. I've found my future, and it's in teaching. And I'll be moving back here, to Forks."

He looked back at me and smiled.

I smiled back at him as my heart sank to my feet.

* * *

_***Ducks behind chair and hides***_

**OK, now, before you get all crazy on me... it just couldn't be THAT easy for him to ask her to marry him... and you KNOW it needs to be more special than at Christmas dinner in front of everyone... cause chances are with these two they'll use it as an excuse to get naked and, though sex on the Cullen dining room table in front of everyone would be loads of fun, that would be a whole different sort of story. :)**

**So... what's up next?**  
**Bella's pissed.**  
**The wedding of the Century (in Alice's mind, at least).**  
**And a bunch of other stuff that I can't tell you because we don't do spoilers!**

**:) XOXO**


	24. Chapter 24

**Don't own the originals... just having fun.  
See ya at the bottom.**

* * *

Chapter 24

I could hear the muffled voices of Edward and my father talking downstairs.

After Edward's announcement on Christmas, I faked being sick so I could get the hell out of the Cullen's home only to crawl into my childhood bed and silently cry myself to sleep. I hadn't seen Edward since Saturday night and it was now Tuesday morning.

My dad, being the oblivious man that he was, bought the story that I had come down with some virus and that I felt it necessary to quarantine myself for the last couple of days or risk getting Alice, or anyone else who was attending the wedding, sick. I had been sneezing and coughing slightly on Christmas Eve and had asked him if I could take those antibiotics of his, so my story was rather believable. However, I was pretty sure that Sue knew there was something up and that I wasn't as sick as I had led both my father and boyfriend to believe; women's intuition and all, but she didn't ask me anything.

The short time I'd spent in the Cullen home after Edward told everyone he had found his future - in teaching - had been awkward, at best. Neither Rose nor Alice would look me in the eye. Esme silently cried, saying it was because she was so happy to have her baby boy coming back home. But, I could tell by the way she looked at me, eyes filled with empathy, that the tears she shed were sad ones, not happy. Even Emmett and Jasper seemed surprised. They congratulated Edward and shook his hand but then stood to the side looking bewildered, scratching their heads as they looked from me to Edward and back again.

So, faking sick wasn't hard, since I literally thought I was going to puke.

I was disappointed with Edward, but also angry with myself for even buying in to the things Rose and Al suggested. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have found myself on Christmas night, dry-heaving into the toilet as Carlisle knocked on the door of the downstairs half-bath to see if I was OK.

Granted, it would have been nice for Edward to have spoken to me first about his decision to take the teaching job, so I wouldn't have been caught so off-guard. It was something that I'd known was a possibility, as we were both without jobs and could go anywhere. At least he'd found what he wanted to do, unlike myself.

Rationally, I knew Edward loved me and marriage was, most likely, part of our future. I just needed time to pout and then put it into perspective. This wasn't a rejection by Edward. He was just a completely clueless boy with poor timing.

I set my laptop aside and decided it was best if I went downstairs instead of Edward coming up to me. I couldn't play sick forever and had already begun laying the groundwork for my "I'm completely better" story. When he'd called earlier that morning, I told him I was beginning to feel like myself again and accepted his offer to take a drive with him today and go to an early dinner. I wasn't ready to be alone with him because that meant I'd most likely have to confess my standoffish attitude of the last few days. After all, most women in love wouldn't have turned down multiple offers from their fuck-hot boyfriend to bring them soup, rub their feet, or just sit and hold them as they slept. Except that I did, because I didn't want his kindness; I _wanted_ to be angry. I just really couldn't muster up any anger, though, and settled for extreme disappointment.

However, I'd spent those two days working on my writing. I'd even reached out to an old college friend, who was also in editing, to pre-read what I had. Maggie had graduated a year ahead of me and, at that time, was a trusted friend with whom I'd stayed in sporadic touch with over the last few years. While we were no longer as close as we'd once been, she happily agreed to lend me a hand.

I was already dressed in dark wash jeans and a burgundy sweater. The sweater, a gift from Alice, was cashmere. It was soft and fit perfectly, with a boat neck and sleeves that hung a little longer past my wrists, which was perfect for the cold day. The sweater had probably cost more than all the clothes I'd brought with me, but since it was Alice's money, I just said "thank you" and accepted the luxurious gift.

I tugged at the tank I wore underneath it and then straightened the sweater back down over my hips. I slipped my feet into my favorite boots then grabbed my jacket and purse and headed down.

Edward was a vision leaning against the kitchen counter, in slightly worn jeans and a beige cable-knit sweater, his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles as he spoke to my father and sipped at a cup of coffee. It was at that moment my stomach growled loudly, causing two sets of eyes to turn toward me.

"Well, there she is," Charlie said, as he rose from the kitchen table. "You feeling better there, kiddo?" He walked over to me and touched my forehead as if checking for a fever. It wasn't something he'd ever done before and the fact that he was doing it now had me looking at him like he was the one who was sick.

"I'm fine, Dad," I said, and went past him to put my coat and purse on a chair. The smell of coffee had set off my stomach and I wanted - _needed_ - some before I left with Edward.

Edward pushed off the counter and took one step forward, which put him a foot away from me. Our eyes met and we just stood there, not saying anything. As if noticing the sudden awkwardness, Charlie mumbled something about going to the store and was out the front door before I could even register that he'd left.

"Wanna tell me what's going on, Bells?" Edward looked into my eyes, concern shining through his obvious look of confusion.

"I've been sick, and now I want coffee." I moved around him to the cabinet where the mugs were kept. Edward's hand was quickly on my arm and he spun me to face him.

"Don't do this," he said, his voice low and almost pleading.

"Do what? Get coffee? I haven't had any in days and I'm going through withdrawal. You really don't want to spend the day with me without my having coffee. It's not pretty." I tried to keep my voice light with an air of humor to it. I'm not sure how successful I was since Edward's eyes burned into mine, searching, before he released my arm and stepped back.

"OK, well, just know I'll get you to talk to me at some point today."

I swallowed hard and turned back to the cabinet. I grabbed one of the many travel mugs my dad collected and filled it with the rest of the coffee from the pot. Adding cream and sugar, I stirred it, turning the dark mud-like substance my father called coffee to a light brown color, before putting the lid on the black Seahawks cup. "There," I said, as I turned toward Edward. I lifted the cup up to show him. He was standing, back against the kitchen door frame and arms crossed across his chest, watching me. "I fixed it to go. So, we can, you know… go."

I grabbed my jacket, shrugging it on as Edward held my cup, and then picked up my purse. Edward swept his arm toward the door, saying, "After you."

Once in the car, he reached into the back seat and handed me a small, white bag. I looked at it and then back at him. "It's a muffin," he said, shrugging, as I took the bag. "I know how you love those cranberry walnut muffins that Cope's Bakery sells, so I picked one up for you before coming over. I took a chance and figured you'd be feeling better. And hungry." He glanced at me before he started the car.

"Thanks," I whispered. I may not have felt that bad earlier, but now I felt like shit. He really had no clue as to what my problem had been since Christmas. Here he was, offering me a muffin and taking me out for the day, and all I could do was feel disappointed because he hadn't asked me to marry him.

I held the bag in my lap and looked out the window as we drove. It was an unusually sunny day in Forks. It was still cold, but not as bad as it could have been. I ran my fingertips along the fold of the small bag; I was starving and wanted to eat the muffin, but couldn't bring myself to do it until I was honest with Edward. I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes as I spoke.

"Edward, I'm sorry. It's true I haven't been feeling well. But that hasn't been my problem the last few days. I was just…"

My heart was racing as I tried to push the words out.

"I was just disappointed that you didn't ask me to marry you… on Christmas. And that you'd made a life-changing decision… without talking to me about it. It just would have been nice to not have been so… surprised… about your job. That's all."

"We're here," he said and stopped the car.

I opened my eyes and saw we were parked in a small, dirt parking lot surrounded by trees.

It took me a few moments, but I eventually remembered it was a place we'd come as teenagers to smoke cigarettes and drink wine coolers. The meadow.

I turned, but Edward was already out of the car and opening the trunk. I grabbed my purse, coffee and unopened muffin bag and climbed out of the car, meeting him at the back.

"Edward, we need to talk."

He smiled at me and took my purse, placing it in the trunk before closing it and hitting the button to lock the car. "I know, and we will, in fifteen minutes."

He had a quilt-like blanket and a bag with him as he turned for the overgrown foot trail. The meadow wasn't too far ahead and the sun was peeking through the trees enough that I didn't have much time to get tired or cold before making it to our destination.

Everything was green, but no flowers were blooming since it was December. I absently wondered when we would have our first snow, it seemed to be eluding us this year, as Edward laid out a plastic tarp. He then put the quilt on top of the tarp before producing a thermos from the bag he carried and another smaller blanket. He turned to me. I was just standing there, holding my cup and bag, watching him and thinking about snow.

"Bella, please, sit," he said softly.

I sat on the quilt, crossing my legs, as Edward sat across from me, so we were knee-to-knee. He stretched the other blanket over our legs and placed his hands on my thighs.

"The sun's out," he said, looking up and blinking before looking back at me. "It's still cold, so we can't stay out here too long. I just remember that we'd come here, sometimes, and you've always looked beautiful in the sun." He reached across and pushed some hair away from my face, a smile toying at the corners of his mouth.

I still held the muffin bag, hunger pushed far from my thoughts as I wanted something more than food at the moment. "Edward…" I said; it came out a raspy croak.

"Bells, let me talk," he said, softly yet firmly, his eyes meeting mine. I nodded.

"Look, I know you have an idea of where you want our relationship to go, and so do I. It's just that I need to get some things in order first. The job was one of them and some other stuff. Now, I realize that my timing was a little… fucked up. Trust me, after I took you home on Christmas, my mother lectured me; then my father, and Alice, and Rose. I should have spoken with you first, especially since it means you'll have to move, too. I know that we'd talked about this being a possibility so I wanted to surprise everyone. Plus, Bella, when I _do_ ask you to marry me, it won't be in front of a crowd." He leaned forward, using his hands on my knees to lift himself slightly off the blanket, so he could reach me to kiss my head.

"Bella, I _do_ plan on asking you, but I need you to exercise some patience, OK?"

I nodded, as my heart started skipping and the butterflies I thought I'd left behind began to flutter inside me again.

"Seriously, that's all I'm going to say on that subject. Understand? A man needs to have _some_ surprises up his sleeve! Well, surprises other than a new job and a 300-mile move." He laughed lightly and I felt myself relax.

I finally opened the bag and offered to split my muffin with Edward. He had more coffee in the thermos as we sat and ate, talking for about a half hour before he reached back into the bag and pulled out a small wrapped box.

"This is your other Christmas gift. I wanted to give it to you when we were alone since it has special memories for just us. It's not a ring – just so you know - so don't get all pissed when you open it, OK?"

I looked into his eyes and saw a familiar playfulness that let me know he was teasing me. I gently punched him in the arm and took the box, ripping it open and removing the lid. It held a beautiful, silver chain with a large pendant.

"They were selling this at the Heard when we were there. The artist who created it is named Marian Denipah. She's part Navajo and lived in Arizona, but the best thing is that years ago, she did a weekend exhibit at the Heard, where she also did some meet-and-greet sessions."

I turned the pendant over in my hand. It was a sterling silver cast of a butterfly and looked like folk art with flowers on the wings, each with a small piece of coral in them. The head held a ruby-colored stone while the body held a black and green stone. The chain it hung on was long and I was able to slip it on over my head. It fell just above my breasts.

Edward reached over and lifted the butterfly, tilting it so that it caught the sun.

"Bella, I talked to Phil. Your mom had taken you to that exhibit. You were small, like ten or something, but he said that your mom hit it off with this Marian lady and they'd kept in touch for a while. You, apparently, were more taken with the butterflies in the gardens that day."

I closed my eyes and the memory came back. There was a photography exhibit and watercolors of the desert, but I remembered chasing after the butterflies while my mom had coffee with a dark-haired lady.

"I had already bought you the necklace, it was as if it was calling to me that day, like I HAD to buy it. But after talking to Phil it just became so much… clearer."

I opened my eyes and looked up into his. Joy flooded my heart and before I knew what I was doing, I was straddling his lap and kissing him with more passion then I'd ever felt before. All of the disappointment and anger was gone instantly. I now knew where things were going for us; we'd get there when the time was right. And, truth be told, I'd follow Edward Cullen anywhere. Even to Antarctica, although moving back to Forks would be much easier.

"Make love to me, Edward," I mumbled around our joined mouths.

He pulled back. "Here? Bella, anyone can walk up."

"Nobody's going to come here." I was already shrugging out of my jacket and worked at pulling his off along with his sweater.

"But, sweets, it's fucking cold!"

"It's not _that_ cold, and we have a blanket." I'd moved off his lap and unzipped my boots, pulling them from my feet before standing to unbutton and unzip my pants. "If it makes you feel any better, we can leave our shirts and socks on."

Edward sized me up and must have realized that I wasn't letting the idea go. I knew he liked my spontaneous idea because I could see the bulge pushing against his zipper.

"Damn it!" he growled, quickly standing up. He took my hands and pushed them away from the waistband of my pants. "That's _my_ job!"

Within minutes, we were mostly naked and under the blanket. We wasted no time getting straight down to business since it was much colder than I'd thought it was. I suddenly became very aware there wasn't anything around to shelter us from any hikers that could meander along.

Edward slid in and out of me quickly, as he used his right hand to touch me, pinching and flicking at my clit, so that we both found our release at the exact same moment.

An hour later, we were in the car, holding hands and pulling up in front of a little Italian restaurant in Port Angeles. The next day, we'd be going back to Seattle for the wedding. Tonight was still ours.

XOXOXOXOX

"So, where are the men, again?" Rose was sitting with her feet curled underneath her on the sofa in front of the fireplace. The suite Edward and I were sharing at the Alexis Hotel was the "Author's Suite". In addition to the fireplace, there were book-lined shelves and a whirlpool tub.

"They're at the house tonight. Edward said they had one last night of fun planned," I answered, passing Rose a plate with fruit and cheese. We were waiting on Alice and Esme. Alice was staying with her mom in another suite tonight before she and Jasper took over the honeymoon suite for two nights. Rose had her own suite, which was a rock-and-roll music theme.

Rose took the plate from me and popped a cheese cube into her mouth as Alice and Esme walked in, chattering about wedding stuff.

"Hey, girls!" Alice hugged each of us and sat next to Rose, grabbing a grape from her plate. "Isn't this place great?"

Esme sat in the wing chair next to me, across from the couch. "It's lovely, Alice. Your father and I are going to be hard-pressed to leave. Our suite is like an art museum and the tub…" Esme's voice trailed off as she looked at us, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Mom!" Alice exclaimed, hiding her face behind her hand.

Esme fixed herself a plate from the platter of finger foods on the coffee table and then settled back. "Bella, is everything all patched up with you and Edward?"

I laughed, thinking about how nicely we'd patched things up a few days ago in the meadow.

"Yeah, things are good."

"Well, my brother-in-law is normally the smart brother, but he was a complete idiot on Christmas," Rose said, shaking her head and nibbling a cracker.

I laughed. "Well, we have everything worked out. We know where things are going and he admits he could have done things a little differently."

"Well, if there's anything the Cullen men know how to do, and do well, it's apologize," Esme said, wistfully.

"Oh, yeah, that they do!" Rose patted her belly. "This little bugger is the product of some awesome apologizing!"

Esme laughed. "That's how both boys were conceived. I think Alice was the only one we actually planned to have. Those boys, though. Man, my Carlisle sure knows how to…"

"MOM!" Alice was pale and her mouth was hanging open.

"OK, fine, I'll stop." Esme turned to me and smiled. "You know what I'm talking about, don't you Bella?"

Now it was _my_ turn to be mortified.

I quickly stood and busied myself with the garment bags that were still in the living room, moving them into the closet in the bedroom. We were spending the evening just hanging out. The next day, we had someone coming in around noon to do hair and makeup, since the wedding wasn't until seven. Alice planned it late so we could all party into the new year.

As I unzipped the bags, I laughed to myself.

"What's so funny?" Esme asked from behind me.

I jumped and spun, grabbing my chest. We both laughed at my overreaction before she took my hand. "Really, Bella, what's on your mind?"

I smiled at the woman who had been a stand-in mother for me all those years ago. It seemed natural to tell her what I was thinking.

"I was just laughing at how so much has changed over the last few months. I mean, two-and-a-half months ago, I was dreading the wedding. Not because of Alice and Jasper; for _them_, I was looking forward to it. For myself, I just wasn't looking forward to being there alone."

I moved to sit on the bed. "I know that sounds so selfish of me but, it's the truth. I was dreading it because I was going to be alone and worse yet, I'd have to watch Jessica and Edward together, kissing at midnight and dancing. Things are so different now, and I can't believe this has become my life."

Esme sat next to me, putting her arm around my shoulders, and pulled me to her. I put my head on her shoulder and allowed her to just hold me. We sat in silence for a few minutes before she spoke.

"Bella, there was never a doubt in my mind that you and Edward were going to be together. I saw it in the two of you in high school. You both just weren't ready for that sort of commitment yet. You each had to find your own way to one another."

She sighed and rubbed my arm. "I know you two have had quite a past. Friends and lovers, am I right?"

I stiffened. The last thing I wanted was for Esme to think poorly of me; and she would. Who wouldn't? I'd been the other woman in Edward's life while he dated someone else. Sure, Jessica had turned out to be her own brand of crazy cheating whore but, still, that wasn't who I thought I was – and not who I wanted Esme to think I was.

"Relax, Bella. I'm not judging either of you. I just always saw it there, underneath the surface, any time you two were in the same room. You both came alive when the other was around. It was both beautiful and agonizing to watch. I wanted to shake the two of you, tell you to get your heads out of your asses, but I knew I needed to let things happen in their own way and time."

Pausing, she chuckled. "Don't think that I wasn't above shipping that Jessica bitch off somewhere to get her out of Edward's life to make room for you! I'd set up my own island if I had to, just to keep her skank-ass away!"

I couldn't hold back the laughter that burst from my chest at hearing the Cullen matriarch speak so frankly. It was just one more reason why I counted myself blessed to be part of this family.

"Anyway, my point, dear, is that you and my son are meant to have a life together. You may think it's happened fast. I say it's taken far too long."

"I second that," said Rose. She was standing in the doorway to the bedroom. "Me, too!" Alice chimed in from behind her.

I knew, then, that it didn't matter if Edward asked me to marry him today, tomorrow or five months from now – the end result would be the same – we would be together and happy. It was meant to be; _we_ were meant to be, forever.

XOXOXOXOX

"Alice, you look beautiful."

Esme was standing behind her daughter and looking at her reflection in the full-length mirror in front of them. It was true, Alice was gorgeous.

After a full day of getting our hands and feet done, body hair plucked and waxed, facials with full makeovers and, finally, our hair curled, clipped and sprayed, we all looked marvelous. But, Alice was radiant.

"Jasper is going to die," I said to her, as I fluffed the veil. Her dress was perfect for her. A strapless sweetheart gown, it had light shirring on the bodice with a lace-embellished fit and flared skirt. Around her petite waist was a jewel-encrusted belt of sorts. She really was a vision in lace, satin and tulle.

"Speaking of, did you guys ever figure out what the boys were up to last night?" Alice asked as she turned to the side, admiring her dress.

"Besides getting drunk?" Rose asked. It was true, they'd started drunk-texting us around one in the morning. Esme said even Carlisle got in on it, sending her some very suggestive texts. That tidbit had elicited another "Ewwww, MOM!" from Alice.

"They have something up their sleeves, that's for sure," I said, as I turned to talk to the florist. She had just walked in with the flowers for each of us.

"Well, whatever it is, they'd better be on their best behavior. I love my sons, but if they do anything to ruin this day for Alice…" Esme's voice trailed off as she looked at the doorway.

"Well," she said, "look at you!"

We all turned toward the door and saw Carlisle. He looked more dashing than ever, his blonde hair that was getting lighter as he got older and some smile lines around his eyes and mouth. He was wearing the charcoal grey suit and sterling tie as requested by Alice.

"Well, I could say the same to you," he said, and went straight to his wife, kissing her lightly, before turning to his daughter. "Alice," he whispered, as he took her hands in his, "you are lovely. My sweet little girl, all grown up."

"Daddy," she said and stopped. Taking a deep breath, I could see she was willing back the tears. "Do _not_ make me cry! I paid good money for this makeup job!" That brought a laugh from everyone in the room. Fifteen minutes later, we were making our way downstairs.

…..

Edward was Jasper's best man and I was the maid of honor, with Rose and Emmett as bridesmaid and groomsman, respectively. Alice had kept the event small, seventy-five people, which made the room look full, but not over-crowded, as I peeked through the doorway to see how everything looked. The Alexis Hotel was one of _the _places in downtown Seattle to hold a wedding. It was a renovated hotel with exposed brick and exquisite chandeliers, perfect for a more intimate ceremony. There was a floral and tulle arbor at the end of the aisle, big enough for the bride, groom and officiate to stand under. Jasper was already there with Reverend Ingles and my breath hitched as I caught sight of Edward.

I spun from the door and looked at Rose. She had a smile on her face. "He looks _that_ good, huh?" she asked, giving me a wink just as the music started to play.

Rose went down the aisle and I followed, my eyes never leaving Edward's as he grinned at me. That familiar fluttering came back and I felt the blush take over my chest, neck and face. Although I could stand to use some coloring on my pasty white skin, I wasn't sure that tomato red went with my dress, which was sterling in color, to match the men's ties. It was simple and elegant, a strapless floor-length dress with pleating around the bodice. I lowered my eyes to the floor and willed myself to calm down. Chancing a glance back up at the glorious face that caused my skin to change color in the first place, I saw him smiling at me – that crooked smile I loved – and then he winked, causing my face to heat up once again.

We all turned as the music changed and watched as Carlisle and Alice appeared in the doorway. I looked at Jasper and saw the shine of tears in his eyes, a smile on his face bigger than I'd ever seen before. Edward and Emmett both beamed with pride at their little sister and I saw Edward elbowing Jasper, causing him to chuckle. It didn't take long for Alice and her father to make it across the room to the Reverend and Jasper and, as everyone turned to watch, I stole a glance at the faces of the guests.

My eyes settled on my own dad and his fiancée. Charlie looked at me and smiled. I returned the smile along with a wink and then turned back in time to take Alice's flowers from her hands.

Twenty minutes later, they were pronounced "Mr. and Mrs. Jasper Whitlock" and everyone applauded. I was finally able to touch my man, after not having seen him in well over twenty-four hours, as we walked up the aisle together. He leaned into my ear and whispered, "You look beautiful, Bells." It sent a shiver down my spine and the blush back to my face.

The reception was held in a larger banquet room, with French doors lining the back wall leading to a terrace that overlooked the waterfront. Round tables were set up with simple, yet elegant, centerpieces made of tall glass cylinders filled with water and white flowering plants growing inside of them. I had no idea what the name of the plants were, but the effect was stunning.

There was a small dance floor in the left corner, a DJ to the left side of it and the table with the three-tiered cake on the right. In front of the French doors, was a long table for the wedding party, holding small cylinder vases for each of our wedding bouquets. The senior Cullens and Whitlocks sat at a round table to the right and just in front of the wedding party table.

We all made it to our places at the reception, after many photographs and hugs, and Alice and Jasper were called forward by the DJ to have their first dance as husband and wife.

Dinner was served and the toasts were given, followed by the cake cutting and more dancing. The men had their fair share of alcohol, but I stayed sober, only having a glass of champagne as we shouted our "hurrahs" to the happy couple. I figured Rose shouldn't be left being the only sober one in the room. My dad pulled me into his arms for a dance, neither of us very light on our feet, but it was sweet just the same.

Before the evening could progress much further, Jasper made his way to the dance floor. Speaking to the DJ, Edward and Emmett left the room only to walk back in with a guitar, mic and amp.

Esme kept Alice busy, working the room and greeting guests she hadn't already spoken to as I watched our men, Carlisle included, stand on the dance floor, heads bent in a huddle as they spoke.

Jasper looked at the DJ and nodded, and the soft jazz that had been playing stopped.

Jasper tapped the mic. "Hello? Is this thing on?" The room stilled as everyone hushed. I turned back to Alice and watched as she looked at her husband. Jasper had slung his guitar over his shoulders and he plucked quietly at the strings as Edward, Emmett and Carlisle took places on either side of him each holding what looked like an egg in their hands. I recognized it as something I had seen Edward use when playing music with Jasper in the past, it was a sort of shaker. They made a handsome group, the four of them on the dance floor, jackets off and ties loosened. Jazz had his sleeves rolled to his elbows and his collar was unbuttoned.

"Alice, I wanted to let you know that this day has been the best day of my existence. When we started dating in high school, I knew you were the one for me. Now, we've had our ups and downs and not everything has always been perfect. But, in the end, you've always been my sweetheart. You've always loved me and supported me."

Alice came to stand next to me and Rose flanked her other side.

"I could have done this alone, but, you see, we're never alone. Our friends, our family, they're always with us, and I thought it fitting if we all stood here together and sang this to the women we love more than life."

Me and my two best friends stood there, arms entwined, and watched as the DJ started a soft background dub of the song "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers. Jasper took up the guitar portion as the other three began to keep the tempo with the shakers and a firm stomp to the floor.

I'd heard Jasper sing in the past, but it never sounded as strong and true as it did in that moment.

"_I been trying to do it right, I been living a lonely life. I been sleepin' here instead, I been sleepin' in my bed. I been sleepin' in my bed." _ Jasper crooned out the words and I heard Alice start sniffling.

"_So show me family, all the blood that I will bleed. I don't know where I belong, I don't know where I went wrong. But I can write a song."_

And then the most amazingly wonderful thing happened, all four of them began to sing the chorus together: _"I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart. I belong with you, you belong with me. You're my sweetheart."_

They were great and cute and funny. Emmett looked as if he was channeling Justin Timberlake while Edward swayed slowly and focused his eyes on mine. Carslie had turned into a crooner, something along the lines of Old Blue Eyes himself. But, by the time the men were done, there wasn't a dry eye left in the room. Even Charlie was wiping at his eyes.

Jasper hardly had time to hand off his guitar to Edward before Alice was jumping into his arms. If the way she was kissing him was any indication, she was probably pretty pissed at herself for insisting we all stay through the stroke of midnight.

It was ten and we had two hours to go. Two hours of line dancing and disco. Two hours of my dad and Carlisle trading baby stories about Edward and me. Two hours before I could take my fine man back to our suite and claim him… repeatedly.

"What's on your mind, love?" Edward breathed into my ear as he held me close, swaying slowly on the dance floor to Lionel Richie's "Say You, Say Me".

"You," I answered honestly, as I snuggled into his shoulder a little more. The heels I wore put me high enough that I could rest my head on his shoulder rather than his chest. I was enjoying my new height.

"Really? What about me?" he asked and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

I sighed. "Just that I can wait, Edward." I pulled back and looked him in the eye. "I can wait until the time is right to marry you. I can wait until the time is right to start a family with you. I can even wait to find a new job for myself while you get settled into yours." We continued swaying and I wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling his head down so my mouth was at his ear. "But what I can't wait for any longer, Edward, is getting you out of these damned clothes!"

His breath hitched as I heard the DJ declare it was time to count down to midnight and the new year. Servers made their way around with trays full of champagne flutes and we each took one as we counted down:

_**TEN!  
NINE!  
EIGHT!**_

I looked around and found Alice and Jasper already in a deep kiss. Rose and Emmett were near them, Em with his arms wrapped around the belly of his pregnant wife.

_**SEVEN!  
SIX!  
FIVE!**_

Esme and Carlisle were standing with Charlie and Sue and the Whitlocks. Our other friends and extended family of the Cullens were crowded around, glasses raised.

_**FOUR!  
THREE!  
TWO!**_

I turned back to my favorite man as we all yelled: _**ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!**_

We sipped our champagne and then embraced in a deep kiss.

It was as if time stood still as his lips pressed against mine, his tongue grazing my bottom lip as I opened my mouth to his. I melted into him as he pulled me closer.

At that moment, I knew I was exactly where I wanted to be and I never planned to be anywhere else.

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**A/N:  
OK, so some of you were WAAAYYYYY pissed at poor Edward after last chapter. I hope you feel differently now. I mean, where would the fun be if there weren't some sort of drama? **

**And, I want to remind everyone that this is a work of fiction... However, the artist Marian Denipah is a real person/artist. Also, the info on the Alexis is accurate, they have the coolest suites. I did take some liberty with the reception space.**

**Only a couple of chapters left...  
Thanks to mauigirl60 - you are my rock - and my correction queen.**

**XOXO MD**


	25. Chapter 25

**Bit of a time jump - to keep things moving forward.  
Thanks for reading.  
As always - I don't own the characters. I just tinker with them now and again.**

* * *

Chapter 25

"Bells, come on."

I stood from the bed, having just finished tying my Chucks and grabbed the lightweight jacket from the hook on the back of the bedroom door. It was a sunny Sunday in early May. The sun promised warmth, but I knew the weather of the North Pacific well enough to know it could get cool and overcast at a moment's notice.

I heard him huff from the hall. He was being impossibly impatient today.

"Edward, it's barely noon and your parents aren't expecting us for dinner until seven. I think we have plenty of time." I stepped into the hallway and stood in front of him. He was leaning against the wall just outside the door and checking his watch.

Looking up at me, he smiled and moved forward, placing his hands on my hips and stepping into me, which forced me back a half-step into bedroom door frame.

"Yes, we do," he said in a breathy voice, as he looked down at me. I would never get tired of those green eyes staring into mine. "But, I have somewhere to take you first and I don't want to be rushed." He leaned in and kissed me. It was a heavy kiss, full of promise, and I could tell he was holding back. After all, we'd just spent the morning lazing around in bed until finally crawling out forty-five minutes ago to get ready for our trip to Forks.

I couldn't believe that I'd stayed in bed past ten o'clock on a Sunday morning. So much had changed in the last eight months.

He nipped my bottom lip before reaching around and giving me a little swat on the side of my ass. "Now, come on, woman! Let's get out of here already."

As we started the long drive to Forks, I stared out the window, getting lost in my own thoughts.

Just after the holidays, Rose and Emmett had moved into the house they'd bought from Edward. All of the painting had been completed and Rose was dying to get in and decorate their new home, especially the nursery.

Alice was ready to start her clothing line and job as a stylist, which meant moving into Em's and Rose's old house. She and Jasper had already found a contractor to complete the new stairs on the outside of the house so her clients would have a less tenuous climb up to her studio. This, of course, meant that Alice and Jasper would be moving into the home and living downstairs.

Edward and I suddenly found ourselves homeless.

Since Edward was taking the courses he needed for his teaching certificate in Seattle, we didn't need to find a place in Forks immediately. So, we did the most logical thing. We moved into Alice and Jasper's old place.

Talk about playing musical houses!

In the end, it worked out best for all of us and by the first of February, everyone was pretty well settled in their new homes. However, Alice and Jasper's old place, which was our new place, was a bit on the small side. We were cramped even with the small amount of furniture I had brought and the few pieces Edward had taken out of storage. It had become apparent that living much longer in the bungalow was out of the question. I'm unsure how Jasper and Alice had even done it, especially with her penchant for clothes. It was clear that moving to Forks to start our lives had moved higher up on the priority list.

In fact, it had become such a priority that after our dinner with the Cullens, we would then be checking into the local motel for the week. Edward had a meeting with the Forks High principal and we wanted to go ahead and meet with a realtor friend of Sue's to start looking at rentals.

"Hey, you there? You seem a million miles away." Edward's voice broke me from my thoughts. I blinked, focusing my eyes, and turned toward him.

"Yeah, just thinking." I smiled at him, taking in his beautiful profile. He cut his eyes to me, smiled and reached over, taking my hand.

"About what?" His voice was soft as he rubbed circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.

I sighed. What _wasn't _I thinking about?

"About everything… but nothing in particular. I dunno." I shrugged. It was hard. So much had happened in the last five months.

"Well, that's as clear as mud, Bells," he said, chuckling, and giving my hand a little shake. I let out a little snort and titled my head back, resting it on the headrest of the seat.

We were thirty minutes into a nearly three-hour drive. I guess I should be pleased he wanted to talk to me and not just turn up the radio. I turned my head and once again watched the scenery passing by. Keeping my gaze focused out the window, I drew in a deep breath.

"I'm just thinking about everything that has happened over the last few months and what's coming up. You know, with the move." I sighed. We hadn't spoken of marriage too often. I had continued with my writing and was working with Alice on her own fashion blog. She hoped to spin it into an online magazine down the road, with guest writers and featured bloggers. Since I had absolutely no working knowledge of fashion, I would be her type-press girl, just putting the pieces together and making sure things were written properly. Alice promised I would be put on a payroll, eventually. For now, I was paid with clothing.

Regardless, I had found myself consumed with my own things while Edward was working toward his goal to be in Forks and teaching by August.

I rolled my head to the left, so I was facing him. "Things have been busy, but oddly…not. If that makes any sense."

He smiled. "Actually, it does."

In February, we had gone to Arizona for Phil and Lillian's wedding. We'd taken Jasper and Alice with us and, just as I knew they would, Alice and Lillian got along fantastically. In fact, Jasper had a difficult time getting Alice on the plane to head home to Seattle. Those two were on Skype every other night and Lil was planning a trip to visit her 'Mini-Me' in June.

Then there was Dad and Sue's wedding.

That had been the first Saturday of April. Thankfully, much like Phil and Lillian's nuptials, it was low-key and there was little pre-planning needed. They'd held it at The Little White Chapel in Port Angeles. Billy was the best man and Sue's niece, Leah, was her maid of honor. Sue had been married once; her husband had passed away years prior and they'd never had their own children. Her niece was like her own daughter. It was a sweet connection that they shared and I enjoyed watching them the day of the wedding. Their relationship reminded me much of the one shared by Esme and me.

"I mean, we've traveled more in the last few months than I have in the last five years. Two weddings, not including Alice's and Jasper's. Job stuff and well…" I started to giggle. "The pregnancy scare."

Edward grinned and lifted my hand to kiss it before resting it on his leg again.

"Yes, that was something, wasn't it?" Amusement filled his voice.

"Well, I'm sorry, but no one ever told me antibiotics made the pill ineffective!"

"Well, now we know." He continued to smile, while his eyes stayed focused on the road.

"Bella, love, do you remember when you told me you might be pregnant?"

I chuckled, "How could I not? The look on your face was priceless; it will forever be burned into my memory."

It was a cross between total fear and complete disbelief.

I had was late for my monthly cycle in January and had mentioned it to Rose on the phone one evening. It was odd for me as I was always quite regular.

Rose said it could be the stress of so much change, but asked me if there had been anything else in the last thirty days. I told her I had felt sick over Christmas but that I took some antibiotics at Charlie's. Since then, I had felt great.

"_Bella," Rose's voice sounded concerned with a twinge of amusement. I sat up a little straighter, concerned for what she might be about to say. "Did you and Edward have protected sex during that time?"_

"_Jeeze Rose, I'm on the pill. Of course we're protected!"_

"_No, Bella, I mean condoms. You know the antibiotics screw with the birth control pill, right?"_

I hadn't known.

Edward came home from work that night and I was waiting for him with an at home pregnancy test still unopened in the bathroom.

"You were as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I knew something was up, I just couldn't figure out what. I thought for sure you had wrecked the car or broken something."

"Yeah, that would be like me," I laughed at the memory.

"Well, I'll admit I was a little freaked out about it when you told me. But, while we were waiting on the results from the pee stick, I grew excited." He gave my hand a firm squeeze. "Bella, it wasn't the right time then, but when it does happen, I will be the happiest man alive."

Looking for a change of subject, so I asked him about his meeting the next day at the school. His face lit up and he began chattering away like a little girl.

"Seriously, Bells, Vice Principal Jones and I have been talking. Mr. Jones, Bob, is open to most of my ideas about the class and it's been set up. And I've already started working on the new website, making it more interactive for the students and parents. The current one is so antiquated; I don't think it's been changed since we graduated. Freaking ridiculous! Oh, and you'll love this, it looks like I also get to be the yearbook sponsor. I will have one class a day for the yearbook staff."

He was so excited that he was practically bouncing in his seat. It made me happy beyond reason to see him that way.

"What about you? Are you going to be able to get all of Alice's stuff set up and do it from a distance?"

Alice - there was a spaz if I'd ever met one.

"Well, if your sister could decide what she wants everything to look like, her webmaster would probably be thrilled and then I could get some work done for her." I shot a look at Edward and he smiled. He knew exactly what I was talking about since _he_ was her webmaster and they'd just argued over her indecisiveness last night.

"Right now, I've been relegated to making spreadsheets and creating business cards and correspondence. Did you know her three-year goal is to have her own shop? 'Dress You' is what she wants to call it and she wants to carry her own clothing and other high-end designers."

Edward laughed, "She's all over the place, isn't she?"

"Yeah, well, your sister is tenacious and crazy enough to do it, and you know I'm right. Besides, once she's fully up and running, she's taking Lauren in as a sort of intern and seamstress. I think, between the two of them, it'll happen." It turned out that along with her love of fashion, Lauren had a head for business and a drive to succeed that was almost equal to Alice's.

"Well, what about your writing? You're still moving on with that, right?"

"Yup. Slowly. I think I should have it all done within the next few months and have it to my editing friend. She is already sharing around what I've done so far. Response is positive. But, after I'm done with that one, I want to go in a different direction."

I'd been mulling it over and had a story outline I'd created two years ago. I found it again when we moved and I spent some time revising it into a great young adult fantasy series. I just hadn't yet shared it with Edward.

"OK, Bells, what is it? You have me on pins and needles over here." Apparently, I'd been quiet too long.

"Well, a couple of years ago, remember when I was working on edits for that vampire romance series?"

"Yeah, you said it had potential. It ended up doing well, right?"

"Yes, but at the time, it gave me an idea for my own series."

"Ohhhhh, yes. I remember that now. You had all kinds of creatures in it, though, not just the blood suckers."

I rolled my eyes at him. Edward was such a boy and never got the fascination that girls had with vampires. Sexy, lickable, beg-to-be-bitten-by-them vampires.

"Yes, witches, shape-shifters, _vampires_. It's a whole different earth, where humans know they walk among us. But there's a big power play for ruling the globe." Now it was me who was prattling on and Edward whose eyes seemed to be glazing over.

"And there's the possibility for sex. Hot interspecies sex."

His face turned to me quickly, interest suddenly in his eyes, before looking back to the road. "B-but I thought you said it was for teenagers?"

I inwardly grinned at his stammering. I slid my hand out of his and began to rub his thigh. "Well, I might change my mind. After all, I like sex - writing about it might be fun." My hand had moved up farther, rubbing and squeezing. He shifted in his seat and I looked down to see that he was noticeably hard.

"Bella…" His voice was raspy. I pressed my palm down onto his length.

"Edward..."

"You need to stop, love. Really…I'm driving."

"But wouldn't you like?"

"No." He grabbed my hand and stilled it before moving it back to his leg.

"But, I hear road head is very…"

"No, Bella. Please. Normally I would say yes, but not… not today. OK?"

That was just weird behavior for him, but I conceded.

….

By three, we were crossing over into the Forks city limits. The town never seemed to change, but instead of feeling oppressed by its lack of change, I felt as if I was coming home. I knew it was because Edward and I were here together, as a couple, with our whole future ahead of us.

I noticed quickly that we were taking a different road, not the one that led to the palatial Cullen home.

"Edward, where are we going?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him. A mischievous grin spread across his face.

"I told you I wanted to take you somewhere before we had dinner with my parents." He kept his eyes on the road, refusing to look at me.

"You're not going to tell me, are you Cullen?"

"Not at all, Swan."

"OK…" I said in a high-pitched sing-song voice that made him wince. "Just remember who controls the pussy you like to fuck."

His face contorted into a grimace. I wasn't sure if it was due to my coarse language or the threat of withholding sex. Probably a mixture of both.

"Now, Bells, let's not make any rash declarations. Besides, I think you'll like the surprise. You only have to wait a few more minutes."

"Fine," I huffed and sat back in my seat, folding my arms across my chest.

I truly hated surprises.

True to his word, we pulled into a narrow blacktop lane off the main highway just a few minutes later. There were homes with trees nestled alongside them. It was laid out in such a way that even though there were nearby neighboring homes, the trees afforded each one with privacy.

A half-mile down, the road ended in a cul-de-sac. There looked to be three houses off the circle, wood and stone-sided and surrounded by trees that looked like they were inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. The beauty of it was breathtaking.

Edward drove straight into a dirt and pebble driveway, the pebbles crunching under the tires, as he continued to the home in front of us.

"Edward, what are we doing here?"

He was silent as he pulled off the main driveway, which led straight toward a two-car garage with a second story. He circled to the left and stopped at a sidewalk that ambled through a small garden to the front door.

I couldn't take my eyes off the two-storied home in front of me and barely noticed when Edward got out of the car. He caught me by surprise as he pulled my car door open and ushered me out.

The house was like the others in that it was two stories with wood siding and large stones. There was a front porch that stretched across the front of the house and looked to turn and go down the left side. It was deep enough for rocking chairs and even a bistro set. The stones were formed into wide columns that reached from the ground to the second story, the wood railing emerging from each.

Calling the front door a "door" seemed to cheapen the home. What faced the steps leading to the front porch were two large wooden doors that were easily twelve feet high. It was an "entryway", and a grand one at that. There was a large window over the doors where I could see a rustic chandelier, which I assumed hung in the foyer. A foyer that I imagined was as big as the bedroom we slept in now.

"Bella! Earth to Bella! Isabella!" Edward shouted my name with a lilt of humor as he snapped his fingers in front of me.

I blinked several times and then tore my eyes away from the home to look at my boy. He was beaming at me with a smile that seemed to light his entire face.

"Edward, what _is_ this?" I was still a bit confused as to where we were. "Is it Mr. Jones' home? Or the principal's? Are we meeting someone you'll be working with?"

Edward pulled me forward slightly so he could close the door to the Jeep and hit the lock button, causing me to jump at the sound of the honk that indicated the security system was engaged.

"No, Bella, we aren't meeting anyone here." He reached into his pocket and produced a key tied to a skinny red ribbon. "Welcome home, love."

I was struck completely speechless as my eyes darted from the key to Edward to the house and then back to the key. I had done it so many times that a look of concern played on Edward's face. He probably thought I was having a coronary or a stroke. Or eyeball whiplash.

He reached a finger over and pushed up on my chin, closing my mouth which I hadn't realized was hanging open. This broke me from my stupor and I was able to form a semi-coherent sentence.

"Edward, what do you mean? Are we staying here while we house hunt? I don't understand?"

He laughed at me and grabbed my left hand, pulling me forward to the path and the steps leading to the porch. Once we ascended them, we stepped across to the double doors. As we stopped, he turned back to me and kissed the tip of my nose before pulling back and dangling the key in my face again.

"No, Bella, I mean welcome home, to _your _home_._"

It finally sunk in – this was our home. _Our _home!

I slowly reached up with a shaking hand and took the key from him. "Really, Edward? We're renting this house to live in?"

This elicited another laugh from him. "No, love, we _own_ this house that we'll be living in. I hope that's OK."

I was aghast. "Wha… what? Own it?"

Concern flashed across his face and he frowned.

"Jeez, Bella. I hope that's OK." He raked his long fingers through his hair and stepped back from me, shifting uncomfortably. He looked down at his feet and as he spoke, his voice held a trace of disappointment and fear.

"I did it again. I made a decision without you. Fuck! Did I fuck this up? I mean, my mom and dad looked at it – and Charlie and Sue – and they all agreed you would love it and that it would be a wonderful surprise. But, if you'd rather have a say in this decision, it's not yet out of escrow, so I'm sure we could back out. We didn't decorate it, either. Mom said that we had to wait for you to do that; well, except we did, just a little. But, that's OK, too. We can get rid of it if you don't like it. God, Bells, please say something. Tell me this was OK and you aren't mad. Tell me even if you _are_ mad. Just talk to me, please!"

Now, it was my turn to laugh at him.

"Well, if you're sure you're done! I mean, you seem to have this long-assed monologue going on and I'd hate to interrupt you."

He raised his head and our eyes met. He was looking at me with an intensity that sent a shiver through me before he cocked a brow and gave me that wicked smirk.

I stepped forward and fisted his shirt in my hands, pulling him to me.

"Edward, I love it and I appreciate the sentiment behind the surprise. I have to admit it makes me feel better knowing you had so much input in it and that you waited to decorate it with me. Although, I may freely turn that over to your mom, 'cause if it were up to me, we'd have futons and bean bags. That's a discussion for later, but for now, I just ask that before the next life-changing decision, you consult me. OK?"

"You betcha!"

I reached up and wrapped my hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down to me so our lips met. We broke our kiss when neither of us could breathe any longer.

"OK, Mr. Cullen, if you don't mind, I have a house to explore." I dangled the key at him and turned to unlock the door. Once I heard the lock click, I felt him behind me.

"Just a moment, Bells." He scooped me up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" I questioned with a half-screech.

"Carrying you over the threshold," he stated matter-of-factly, as he turned the handle and pushed the door open with his foot.

"Isabella Marie Swan, welcome to your new home." He walked us into the foyer, and I had been right - it was as big as our bedroom was now.

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**A/N - A bit of a cliffy there, just because I got overly wordy and didn't want to lose you all at word 8,255... LOL  
Should have the continuation (officially known as Chapter 26) up by mid week!**

**Thanks for reading...  
And thanks for mauigirl60 for her fantastical beta'ing skilz...  
And to my Girlz, Sparklingwand and TheOnlyKyla, for giving me love and encouragement.  
All three of these ladies are my rock... ROCKS?  
More like columns?**

**:) I'm on the Facebook - RvrSong FanFiction - I don't do anything very exciting there, but we can chat and you can see the pics that inspired the story.**

**Please, my dearest readers, leave me some kind words. I enjoy reading your thoughts...**

**XOXO - M**


	26. Chapter 26

**Welcome Back!  
Poor Edward can't catch a break... He's just trying to spoil his girl and make up for lost time. Guess I have too much of a romatic heart...  
;-) LOL  
As a reminder... I don't own these characters.  
And I'm nearly done playing with them... this is the last "regular" chapter before the Epi.**

**Shout out to mauigirl60 - for reaching out to me at around C7 and saving me from myself and my over use of commas, poor verb tense and improper use of quotations (both double and single). SMH ;-)**

**Warning: There is a lot of feel good, cheesieness happening in this chapter - if you're lactose intolerant or hardcore goth - you may find it offensive.  
Read at your own risk.**

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Chapter 26

Stepping into the house, the first thing I noticed was that the floors were made from a rich oak and that there was a wide spiral staircase leading to the landing of the second floor. Edward grabbed my hand and walked me through the house. The front room to the left was closed off by double doors, behind them was a den with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. To the right of the foyer was a dining room that led into the back of the house and the kitchen. Across the back of the house were the kitchen and a large family room with floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out to a wooded yard and a picket fence. On the other side of the fence was a small stream.

"Your dad is so jealous of that stream. He said he may come over here and see what he can catch." Edward stood behind me, arms wrapped around my waist and his face resting on the top of my head. We stood that way, slowly rocking, for what seemed like an eternity, just looking at the landscape of our backyard.

"The porch, it wraps all the way around?" I asked, tilting my head forward and looking to the left.

"Yes, and I took the liberty to buy a couple of rocking chairs, they're around the side. There's a large butterfly garden over there, I thought it might be a nice place for hanging out."

"Hmmmm… I turned in his arms. "Always taking liberties, aren't you, Eddie?"

I watched as his tongue darted out, licking his lips. "Yes, I suppose I am." His voice was rough. He leaned in to kiss me and this time there was a fire behind it that melted me instantly. I leaned into Edward's chest as he wrapped his arms around me and he pulled me closer. Before I knew it, though, the kiss had ended and he pulled back from me. With both of my hands in his, he walked backwards out of the family room. From this direction, I could appreciate the high ceilings, entertainment center built-ins and a beautiful stone surround fireplace. I idly wondered why a fireplace would run through what seemed to be the center of the house. I was used to seeing them on exterior walls. I shrugged off the thought and focused back on my lovely man.

"Come on, Bells, there's more to see."

"What? More of my father's dream retirement home? Because between the stream and the rocking chairs, I don't think we'll get him out of here."

Edward flashed me that crooked grin that always made me weak as he gently pulled me forward and through the hall, back to the entryway and staircase. We climbed the stairs side-by-side as they were wide enough and when we got to the landing, he pointed out the three smaller bedrooms and the bathroom that they would share.

"Edward, you mentioned furniture, but I haven't seen any. Other than the rocking chairs you clearly bought for our parents, was there something else?"

"Listen here woman, are you going to keep picking on me for my thoughtfulness or are you going to just appreciate it?" He stopped us in front of double doors and looked down at me with a smirk.

"I'm just thinking maybe you shouldn't have let our parents help out so much with this, it seems they were just setting themselves up in their future home. Which, I don't mind. But since we would obviously get Dad and Sue, Alice or Emmett get your parents. We can't have them all here." I smirked back at him.

"Are you done now?" He asked, feigning irritation but I knew he was holding back the laughter.

"Yup."

"Good." Cupping my face in his hand, he stroked my cheek with his thumb. His eyebrows drew together as his face turned serious. His green eyes shone with intensity.

"Bells, I love you so damned much it hurts. You know that, right?"

"Of course, Eddie. I love you, too. Always."

A smile pulled at the sides of his mouth. "Forever?"

Like he actually had to ask? "Yes, silly boy, forever."

He gave me a chaste kiss before turning toward the doors. He took the handles and turned them, opening both doors at the same time, then stepped to the side to allow me to enter.

I was frozen in the doorway.

A small gasp escaped as I covered my mouth with my hand and finally found the will to move my feet.

It was the master bedroom – _our_ master bedroom.

Windows and French doors covered the far wall, leading to a terrace. To the right of the room was a large bed. It looked as if it had been made from trees in the back yard. I could see each knot of the wood and the different hues of the oak. It was easily a king-sized bed and from the headboard and foot board there were square wooden posts that led to a railing at the top. Sheer cream-colored gauze fabric hung from the railing. It was easily the most romantic thing I'd ever seen as I took in the plush bedding in cream and burgundy with soft gold accents.

In the corner of the room across from the bed was a stone fireplace, not as large as the one downstairs since it was built into the corner, with a couple of wing chairs facing it. There was already a large fire stoked inside the fireplace, which made me look at Edward with a cocked brow.

He shrugged and said shyly, "Maybe Mom came by here before we pulled in, just to set things up."

I gave him a sly smile and turned my back to him as I took in the rest of the room.

There were a few rustic candelabras around the room with candles flickering in them. A chandelier hung from the vaulted ceiling that looked like a candelabra but, instead, had candle-shaped bulbs.

Night stands, a dresser and chest of drawers that were made of similar wood as the bed, but with metal accents like the chandelier and bedside tables, helped to fill up the large space.

I was about to ask Edward how he'd done all this when I heard music start playing. I turned around and Edward was standing in a doorway, which I decided must lead to the bathroom, with a large boom box in his hands.

He had on a long grey trench coat with the sleeves rolled to the elbows, showing off his beautiful forearms. I instantly recognized the music playing as Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". Edward awkwardly lifted the boom box over his head and I laughed at his slightly cheesy but heartfelt rendition of the scene from "Say Anything". It was the song I'd told Jasper to sing to Alice at their wedding reception.

I was glad now that he didn't.

I leaned against the footboard of the bed and watched my handsome man as he lowered the boom box to the floor and came to stand in front of me.

"Edward, that was so…"

"Cheesy and stupid?" He asked with a wince.

"No! Not stupid. Maybe a little cheesy. But definitely sweet," I softly said, as he reached for my hands and pulled me to stand in front of him.

"Well, I know your penchant for all things eighties, plus you mentioned you loved this song." He gave me that lazy smile and I melted on the inside just a little.

"I did. Now, can I see the bathroom? If it's half as fabulous as this bedroom, you may not see me for days!" I moved to step around him and he stilled me.

"Bells, just a moment. I have something I need to say."

I stopped and looked up into his intense green eyes.

"What is it, Edward?"

"Bella, I love you more than my own life. You've been my best friend for a decade and I have cherished every moment of our friendship. Maybe not as much as I should have…"

"Edward, it's fine," I said, attempting to soothe him. The past was the past.

"Bells, please, let me finish." He took a deep breath and a step back. "Bella, I promise I will never take you for granted again. I will spend every day of my existence making you happy, pleasing you and taking care of you. When you're sick, I'll hold you and get you anything you need. When you're mad, I'll let you yell at me and take out all your frustrations on me. When you're happy, I'll be there to share in your joy and when you're sad, I'll be there to kiss you and tell you everything'll be OK."

Still holding my hands in his, he dropped to one knee in front of me and suddenly, everything fell into place. The house, the music, the declaration of love.

Clearly I'm a complete idiot. A clueless idiot who currently had her mouth hanging open with her heart beating like a drum in her chest, but still an idiot.

"Isabella Marie Swan, I have been a total screw-up. I've made mistakes and had gigantic errors in judgment. I've hurt you and pushed you away, and yet you stayed open to me. You've allowed me to spend the last six months proving to you how much I love you, how much I want to be with you. Bella, would you please do me the honor – an honor I am so undeserving of – and be my wife?"

The sobs finally broke from my chest as I dropped to my knees in front of him, my hands releasing his to cup his face.

"Edward," I hoarsely spoke through my tears of joy, "we made all of those mistakes _together_. It wasn't one-sided, by any means. We _both_ screwed up. I spent years pushing you away for fear of really opening myself up to you. But you're all I've ever wanted. Since that day you brought me the soda under the tree at your parents', I've wanted to be with you. Our past is our past, we learned from it and have grown. Of _course_ I'll marry you, and I'll do all I can to make you as fantastically happy as you make me! Every damned day!"

Edward was now on both knees, his own tears falling from his face. His grin matched the one I was wearing.

"So, yes?" It was as if he hadn't even heard me – we were already acting like an old married couple. Maybe we needed those rocking chairs after all.

"I said 'yes', didn't I?" I put my hands on my hips and gave him my best bitch-brow, which probably wasn't very scary since I was still smiling.

He pulled the trench coat off and tossed it to the side, then reached for me, shuffling himself a little closer on his knees. "Yes, I believe you did, future Mrs. Cullen."

"Although, I'm not real sure how this is all going to work out since you already broke a promise to me."

Edward froze. "I did?" Fear once again danced across his face. I inwardly laughed as I kept a serious look on my face.

"Yes. You told me you wouldn't make any more life-changing decisions without me. And this, dearest Edward, was one hell of a life-changing decision. I sort of felt cornered, I mean, I _had _to say yes, didn't I? We really should have discussed it first. And did you even ask my dad? We probably should made a pros and cons list…"

His hands were suddenly on my face as he kissed me. Hard.

Pulling back, he looked down at me. "So, I guess I'll have to make it up to you, then?"

I grinned back at him. "Yes, I suppose you will."

He peppered my face with light kisses as he whispered to me, "How should I do that, Bella?"

I tilted my head back as he got to my neck. "Make love to me."

"Uh-uh."

_WHAT? _He just said "no" to sex?

I straightened my head and tried to hide my irritation as I spoke, "Excuse me?"

He chuckled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black velvet box.

"Not until you put this on. I want to make you mine with this," he said, lifting the box and giving it a little shake, "before I make you mine with this." With that, his left hand passed over his body, stopping momentarily at his prominent hardness as he waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Classy, Eddie." I rolled my eyes at him but couldn't stop the smile that was now plastered across my face. "A ring, huh? I guess I can do that," I said, holding my left hand up and wiggling my fingers as he opened the box.

The ring it held caused yet another gasp to escape my lips. It was a beautiful vintage silver and diamond ring. The antique silver band held the large diamond with what looked like knots. It was delicate and unique.

"And for the record, I did ask Charlie. I wouldn't have willingly spent that much time hanging out with him otherwise. He scares me." Edward slipped the ring onto my finger and we both admired it for a moment.

"You look good in my future," he said.

"OK, you can stop quoting eighties movies now," I said, looking back at him, his green eyes filled with playfulness.

"Whatever do you mean?" He put a hand to his chest to feign shock.

"You aren't Keith and I'm not Watts. Or Amanda Jones, for that matter, so, just knock it off!"

He gave me a pout. "But "Some Kind of Wonderful" is one of your favorites."

And, as if on cue, "Can't Help Falling in Love" began to play on the boom box.

I hadn't really paid much attention to what had been playing after Peter Gabriel was over, but this was just pure serendipity. I cracked a smile. "Yes, and nobody does this song better than Lick the Tins. But, can we please get on to the _making love_ portion of the day?"

Edward took my hands and we both stood up and kicked off our shoes so they hit the French door. I was glad I'd worn my low tops instead of my high tops, or boots, since they were faster to get off my feet.

He undressed me slowly, starting with my shirt then my jeans. When I was only in my bra and panties, he ran a hand down my body, along my breast and to my hip. "You're beautiful, Bella. I love you."

"I love you, too," I responded, and then worked on removing his clothing until he was left in his boxer briefs. A smile spread on my lips as I ran my finger along the waistband. These were always my favorites on him.

A moan left his lips as I dipped my finger into the waistband, skimming the head of his rock-hard cock.

He reached around me and unclasped my bra, sliding it down my arms. He then leaned down to take my nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping at it as I ran my hand along his length.

"Edward, please!" I was a wanton slut for this man. I would take him every single day, if I could.

He walked us to the bed, pulling the covers down, and gestured for me to lie down. He then removed his underwear, leaving himself bare in front of me. My Adonis.

"God, you're beautiful!" I was beyond hiding my feelings from him. We were getting married and starting a life together. He would know every thought in my mind. Good or bad, appropriate or not.

He gave me that lovely crooked grin and climbed onto the bed, hovering over me, hands on either side of my head, knees between my legs.

"You're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen, Isabella and I'm so honored that you agreed to be my wife." He leaned down and put his lips to mine. His kiss lit a fire through my entire body as our tongues twisted and turned together.

Pulling away from me, he sat back on his heels, grazing his fingers down my body which left a trail of goose bumps in their wake. I shivered as his fingers trailed the tops of my panties and then he hooked them around the sides, sliding them down. I tilted my hips up to assist him.

Once the fabric was off me and disposed of somewhere across the room, he leaned back down, covering me with kisses and nips from my neck down to my belly. Then, he shifted and kissed down my right leg before moving back up the left and settling between my thighs.

I mentally high-fived myself for shaving my legs and girl-bits today before my eyes fluttered closed and my head rocked back into the pillow. The man was _good!_ I reached down, grabbing his hair, pulling and tugging as I gently bucked into him. I had no shame when it came to this man.

My release rocketed through me, causing my legs to extend and my toes to literally curl, leaving me panting for breath. Edward moaned as he gave me another long lick and then kissed the insides of my thighs. Moving back up and over me, I wrapped my legs around him and pulled him in tightly. Taking advantage of the extra-wide bed, I forced us into a roll, so I was on top.

"Well, that was surprising," Edward said, as I kissed him with the same passion he'd kissed me with earlier. I tasted myself on him which emboldened me to do all the things I loved and wanted to do with my future husband.

I mimicked his movements from earlier, kissing down his body, running my fingers along his taut muscles, committing every dip and rise to memory. Eventually I got to where I wanted to be and teased him, gently kissing the head of his cock. He moaned once again, whispering my name and his declarations of love. He was already leaking and I licked it off before taking him fully into my mouth, working him over the way I knew he liked. This totally made up for his denial in the car earlier.

"Bella, gahhhh! Please, baby, come here!" He grabbed for my arms and pulled me up so our faces were even. Wrapping a hand around the back of my neck, he pulled me in for a kiss as I straddled his hips.

"I want to come inside you, please!" His voice sounded desperate and I grinned against his lips.

How could I ever say no to this lovely man?

"Then, hold on baby!" I said and pushed him back so he was lying flat on the bed. I grabbed his shaft and hovered over him, looking into his eyes filled with desire. As I slid down onto him, he let out a hiss and closed his eyes. Before long, I was in a full rocking motion, hands braced on his chest. We both panted and groaned as we worked together toward our own personal fireworks.

"Edward!"

"Bella!"

With one last grunt from us both, I collapsed onto his chest, sweaty and spent. Edward wrapped his arms around me. I pressed my head to his chest so I could hear his heart racing. He stroked and petted my hair, kissing the top of my head and holding me so closely that I felt as if we'd become one.

After some time, he asked me, "So, do you want to see the bathroom?"

I pushed up so fast that my head spun. "Hell fucking yeah!" I leapt from the bed and didn't care how ridiculous I looked as I skipped across the room to the other set of double doors. Edward following me, laughing.

Inside, I had to pinch myself. There was a large walk-in closet. "There's another closet, in the bedroom, for my stuff," Edward said, leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest and one foot crossed over the other.

"OK!" I responded as I stepped back out into the room that could house a small family. There was a water closet for the toilet, a large, stone-steamed shower. There was a double vanity with sconce lighting. A Jacuzzi tub was in the corner of the room; the windows wrapped around the corner over it, and I could see straight into the yard.

"Um, not very private," I said and looked over my shoulder at Edward as I backed up a little.

"Oh, but it is,! He reached out to a wall plate that held some switches. Each one controlled something in the room: the sconce lighting, the chandelier over the tub and the fan over the shower. There were two others. Edward flipped one and I heard a humming noise. I looked back at the windows and noticed that they had grown darker.

"OK, this one makes it one-way glass; you can see out, nobody can see in. And, trust me, our dads tested it in both daytime and night. It works. But, if that bothers you, then there's the shade." Flipping the other switch, shades moved down between the panes of glass.

"Nice…" I said, nodding my appreciation. It was then that I noticed a basket in the corner of the made-for-at-least-two tub. It was filled with soaps and towels.

"Wanna take a bath?" Edward asked, wrapping his arms around me and kissing my shoulder.

"Mmmmm… yes!"

He drew our bath as I wandered around the room. There was another switch to heat the stone floor and I found new toothbrushes and a travel sized toothpaste on the vanity.

"Edward, we're staying here this week, right?"

"Yes, love."

"Good. Can we go furniture shopping?" I asked, as I opened the toothbrushes, pink for me and blue for him.

"Yes, love," he responded in the affirmative again, as he came over next to me and grabbed his toothbrush.

"You're going to make someone a great husband someday, Cullen."

"Yes, love," he said, bowing his head to me and smiling.

We then spent the next two hours christening the tub.

And the shower.

And the kitchen counter.

Thank God Edward - or Esme, most likely - had remembered to pick up some cleaning wipes. There wasn't any way I could go out knowing that we'd done _that _right _there!_

There was also food in the kitchen, but we were still obligated to go to dinner at the Cullen's, which, incidentally, I'd gotten from Edward that it was a "congratulations on getting engaged dinner" and everyone would be there.

We dressed once again and pulled out of the driveway of our new home.

"Shit!" Edward exclaimed as we pulled out on the main road.

"What?!" He had freaked me out with his sudden harshness.

"I forgot to show you the best part!"

"Of the house? Better than the bedroom, and the bathroom, and the chef-quality cooktop?" I really couldn't see how there could be anything better.

"Damn it, yes! Here." He fished out his phone and quickly opened to a folder in his photos. "At least you can see it in here. It's the room above the garage. Mom and Sue decorated it for you. Rose and Al helped, too. And Lillian and Phil, they sent your old bulletin board from your old room, and there's a photo collage wall with pictures of us and our families, and also your mom."

I scrolled through the pictures and my eyes filled with tears. There was my bulletin board, with the same things on it that I'd left when I moved to Forks. There was a beautiful desk and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the walls. The photo wall was breathtaking and there were windows looking out to the back yard, with yet another French door that led to its own balcony.

"You have your own bathroom and a flat-screen LED television. The chair is ergonomically correct and I set you up with the best computer equipment money can buy. There are chairs on the balcony for you, and a mini fridge and wet bar."

I finished all the pictures and wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand. "Edward, you took liberties again," I whispered and then looked at him with a smile. He looked over at me with some concern. "But, I love it! Thank you, especially for including my mom."

Once at the Cullen's, we were wrapped in congratulatory hugs. Dad and Sue were there along with Alice and Jasper and Rose and Emmett. We called Phil and Lillian to share the news with them and they sent us their love.

After dinner, I made my way out to the Cullen back yard. Everyone was getting blissfully lit inside and I wanted a little bit of quiet.

I headed to my favorite tree in the yard and sat down under it, looking up at the dark night sky which was glowing with thousands of twinkling lights. Twinkling lights I just knew were for me.

A few minutes later, I heard someone walking through the grass and knew who it was before he spoke.

"My mom said you looked like you might be cold, and that I should bring you this," he spoke softly, holding out a large fleece blanket. I smiled at him and remembered the time he'd brought me the can of ice-cold soda 'cause I looked hot.

"She's a smart woman. I _am_ cold. Join me?"

He sat down next to me, pulling the blanket over us. "I would've been disappointed if you hadn't asked." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and tucked me into him. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing out here, anyway?" he asked, kissing my head.

"Looking at the stars. Thinking about how much everything has changed over the last six months. Thinking about you." I smiled and I felt him smiling against my head.

"Me, huh?"

"Yes. You got under my skin, Edward. From the day you handed me that soda and we talked about pornographic penis names."

He chuckled at the memory as I continued. "From that first conversation you went from being just Alice's brother to my friend and eventually my boyfriend. Then there was our first time having sex and every time after. All the times you looked at me with longing and every year when we watched scary movies. You were as much a part of me as my own skin. You were inside me and I'd prayed this was how we'd end up one day."

"Oh, Bells, you were always _it _for me. I'm sorry it took me so long to get there. But, when you were just that blushing teenage girl, you were in my blood, in my head and you instantly had my heart. I'm so happy to be making a life with you."

He pulled me in tighter and kissed my head again.

We sat there a little longer until Emmett came out and yelled for us to get our asses back in the house for cake.

As we walked back to the house, hand-in-hand, I had a thought.

"Edward?"

"Yes, love?"

"Can we get married here? Underneath this tree?"

He stopped and looked down at me. Smiling, he said, "Of course, whatever you want. No more life-changing decisions for me, remember?" He kissed the tip of my nose and I giggled.

As we walked back into the house and to our friends and family, I suddenly felt as if I were embraced by all the love and joy I felt in the room. It was as if a warm blanket and enveloped me. For what seemed like the hundredth time today, the very familiar sting of tears was once again in my eyes.

I was happier than I'd ever thought I'd be; ready to start a new life with the man of my dreams.

And, it was all because I'd let a boy get under my skin.

* * *

_**A/N: Just the Epi left that will tie up some lose ends... YES Bella finds her own "thing" in life... YES she starts making decisions...  
OY! LOL**_

_**Thanks again for reading.**_

_**Please consider leaving me a friendly little review ... I appreciate it more than you know!**_

_**XOXO  
**__**~M~**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Lovely readers... we are finally at the end.  
Thank you for spending time with me.  
As always, I don't own the original characters, I've just enjoyed playing around with them.  
Thanks to my beta, Mauigirl60... I often say it and will say it again... I'm so glad you found me! And that you put up with me... improper verb tense, non-apostrophe usage and all. At least I spell ok (thanks Spell Check!). Sorry.. that would be "OK" or "Okay". Jezzums.  
Lookie there! I just red penned myself!**

**Anyway... here we go... a few years in the future.**

* * *

Chapter 27 - Under My Skin – Epilogue

**BPOV:**

My phone started ringing, the lyrics of "Brown Eyed Girl" blared at me as I finished putting on my makeup. The familiar ring tone made me grin briefly before my pleasure at hearing the tune turned into irritation.

"Damn it to hell!" I mumbled as I screwed the cap back on the mascara and gave myself a once-over in the large bathroom vanity. I loved this bathroom. I loved this house. I never held an ounce of resentment toward Edward for picking out this home for us, especially since he'd done it with the help of our families. That meant they'd all had a part in creating our future and that was just how I thought it should be.

I ignored the ringing phone, now on its second cycle through the Van Morrison classic, since I knew it was just my husband choosing to dial me from downstairs. This was his way of telling me to hurry my ass up for a three-hour drive. Not just any three-hour drive; a three-hour drive with a highly energetic three-year-old.

Thank God for vehicles with TV and DVD players!

When Emmett and Rose had bought their new truck with the TV "for Alex", I'd rolled my eyes. At that time, our little Samantha was not quite a year old, and I knew there was no way I would dangle a screen in front of my little girl to entertain her. I firmly believed Rose and Emmett just needed to spend more time with their rambunctious two-year-old son. They should entertain him and give him things to keep him busy. Of course, perhaps all the time that Emmett spent with the kid had been part of the problem. He was a stay-at-home dad while Rose worked her way toward her medical degree, and Emmett was anything but calm and focused.

Nonetheless, I was convinced that with my more hands-on approach, my little Sammy would fall in love with books, just as I had, eventually learning to entertain herself quietly for hours with toys and age-appropriate educational games.

When the day came that I'd asked Emmett what car dealership they'd used, he laughed at me and called me a hypocrite.

Screw him!

After one particularly horrific three-hour-drive to Seattle, I was done. So was Edward, who, incidentally, had the patience of Job with his then twenty-month-old princess. Apparently, his patience had reached its limit when he'd been confined in a vehicle for three hours with her screaming and begging to be let out of the car seat. On that particular trip to visit my sisters and brothers-in-law, Rose and I had left the men with the kids and drove right over to the car lot. I walked into the dealership with my checkbook and left with a sleek, black SUV with leather interior and two TVs.

And satellite.

And headphone jacks.

If I could have gotten privacy glass installed between the front seats and the back, I would have.

Of course, traveling with Samantha Leigh is much easier now that she's a little older, and I have a DVD library filled with every princess movie ever made. This trip will be less eventful with my broad array of DVDs, but I was still a nervous wreck and had three hours to think about what I'd be doing that day.

I grabbed my garment bag off the bedroom door as I left the comfort of my room. I would've loved nothing more than to stay there, curled up in one of those wing-backed chairs in front of the fire and read.

The reality was that if I did stay there, I'd end up in my office over the garage, working on the second and third books of my young adult fantasy series _Darkest Dawn_. The first book in the series was being looked at by a variety of publishers. With the success of my first book, _Under My Skin, Forever in My Heart_, I'd earned some notoriety and was seen as a writer with promise – or so I'd been told.

It had taken a couple of years, a few title changes and many rejection letters before that first book was published. In fact, I'd gone the on-line route first, with an e-book, until it grew in popularity. Once it had gone to hard-print, the sales climbed. Of course, Oprah hadn't added me to her 'Favorite Things' list and I wasn't dancing around the coffee table with Ellen yet, but I had hope. And, so did my reading and editing team. I had three publishers already interested in taking on my new series, a trilogy with enough backstory to promise a prequel, which would also be told in three books. There were also whisperings of many movie deals.

But before I could settle on the right publisher, I had one more meeting to attend. Then I could move forward with this new venture.

Edward met me at the bottom of the stairs and took the garment bag from my hands.

"You look beautiful, love." Age had done nothing but improve my beautiful man. At thirty-one, Edward was somehow even more handsome than he'd been as a teenager. I, on the other hand, had put on a few pounds and looked more like I was thirty-seven instead of twenty-seven. And I often felt forty-seven after a long day of running after my daughter, housework and meetings with my writing team. Not to mention twice monthly PTA meetings, for which I was the secretary.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically and rolled my eyes. Years ago I never would have bothered with even the lightest bit of makeup to head out of town. These days, I seemed to have dark circles which had taken up residence underneath my eyes.

Edward wrapped his arm around me, tucking me in close to his side. Kissing the top of my head, he spoke to me in the firm tone he used when he was irritated with my self-deprecation. "Bells, you _are_ beautiful and you grow more so every day."

"Thanks, Eddie. I just don't feel it, but I'll take your word for it." I gave him a smile as we stepped into the garage, walking over to the vehicle and to our daughter, who was already buckled into her seat.

"Momma! Wanna see Alek!" Sammy yelled at me, as I climbed into the passenger seat while Edward hung my garment bag in the back.

"Yes, baby girl, we're going to see Alex and Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett…"

"Unk Em funny!"

Sammy loved her uncles, Emmett and Jasper, but Emmett was just a big five-year-old himself, so he held a special place in Sammy's heart. Plus, he's always let her spray him with the water hose and put makeup on him.

"Yes, he _is_ funny," Edward said, climbing into the SUV and buckling himself in before starting the engine. "And, Aunt Alice and Uncle Jasper are going to visit, too."

"BABIESSSSSS!" Sammy yelled, thrusting her hands in the air while stretching her legs and feet straight out in front of her.

"Yes, sweetie, you can pet the babies," I said, as we pulled out of our drive and onto the main road.

Alice was pregnant, with twins. She was six months along and looked like she was about to burst. Sammy and Alex liked to see her and rub her belly, saying that they were "petting the babies". It was all fun and exciting now; just wait until they realized exactly how much competition they were going to have in the attention department when those babies got here. I didn't even want to think about it, especially since they're having both a boy and a girl; currently, Sammy is the only girl and princess over everything. She wouldn't be sharing her tiara that easily.

Once we started our three-hour trek to Seattle, I got the movie going for Sammy and handed her the headphones. Looking over at Edward, I saw him fighting back a grin.

"What?!" I asked snarkily, as I turned back around in my seat, settling myself in and then looking back at my husband.

"Nothing, it's just funny, that's all. You, 'Bookworm Bella', raising a TV-loving child; it's a little ironic, don't you think?" He actually started giggling and I smacked his arm.

"Stuff it, Cullen! You know you love her watching movies and being quiet as much as I do."

"Yeah, but I wasn't the one who scoffed at the idea!"

"Well, I finally saw the light, and if you keep picking on me, date night is canceled!"

His face blanched and I knew then that I had him.

The rest of the ride was uneventful.

….

**EPOV:**

My girl was beautiful, even while she sat there silently, irritated at my reminding her she'd berated Emmett and Rose for putting Alex in front of the TV.

Bella and I were married in June, the same year I'd proposed. We'd wasted enough time and if we were going to live together, there was no reason not to be married. That same weekend of my twenty-seventh birthday, we were wed in my parents' backyard, under the tree as Bella had wanted.

Three months later, we found out she was pregnant. We were surprised, especially since Bella was on the pill, taking them regularly, and there weren't any antibiotics to interfere. Apparently, I had good swimmers and we were just meant to have a baby. So, after the initial shock, we celebrated and embraced the idea of being parents. The following May, Samantha Leigh was born.

In the last three years, Bella had become Wife-and-Mother extraordinaire. She was truly amazing and I was in awe of her. Being an accomplished author only added to the amount of love and respect I had for my wife.

Her new book series was sure to be a huge success. This trip to Seattle was just the last leg of a long journey, a door that needed to be closed.

It was spring break for me, so the timing couldn't have worked out better. We were going to spend the week in Seattle, visiting with Rose, Emmett and Alex, along with Alice and Jasper. I also hoped we'd be able to fit in time with our other friends, maybe plan a barbecue.

Rose was nearing her goal of receiving her medical license. Em was happy being a stay-at-home dad. He volunteered at the preschool Alex attended and was the assistant coach for his pee-wee soccer team.

Alice had opened her own shop called 'Dress You' and was planning to open a second location, 'Dress You Too', in Olympia. Lauren had been her assistant since shortly after Bella and I were married and pretty much ran the boutique. Lauren and Embry had gotten married last year and were willing to move to Olympia to take over the new shop, if and when it happened.

Embry was ready to expand his auto repair business and opening a shop in Olympia would be a great addition. He had already opened a second auto repair shop in Seattle and Jake was running it for him.

Jake and Angela were finally married and trying to have another baby. They were crazy-happy together and their son, Chase, was great with Alex and Sammy. Jake and I had managed to become pretty good friends, declaring our friendship one night over too many beers and many games of pool. I thanked him for taking good care of my girl's heart for me while I got my head out of my ass. He said if I was truly thankful, I'd let him win a game of pool. I'd done a pretty good job of kicking his ass at the game that night.

My male ego wouldn't allow me to throw a game, so I decided to do one better and buy him his own pool table. Angela hadn't been angry with me for too long. Besides, it fit perfectly in their garage and gave Jake and Chase something to bond over.

By late morning, we had pulled into the parking lot of the hotel we'd be staying at for the week. We could have stayed at Em's or Alice's homes but, as much as we loved my brother and sister and their spouses, we liked our own space. So, a suite at the Seattle Hotel was the way to go.

Paying extra, I could check us in early, giving Bella the chance to change and get ready for her meeting.

I fixed Sammy lunch as my girl primped and preened. Twenty minutes later, Bella came out of the bedroom, the sight of her made my breath catch in my chest. God, she was gorgeous! She complained about the extra weight she claimed she put on since Samantha's birth and that she felt older than her twenty-seven years. I, however, loved the new curves of her body. Her hips were a little rounder and her breasts fuller. In my opinion, the last few years had been good to her. I knew she would age beautifully and I was happy to be with her and watch it happen.

She was asking me something over her shoulder as she checked herself out in the mirror that hung over the couch. She wore a black dress which wrapped around her waist, stopping just above her knees, along with black high-heeled boots. Just the sight of her luscious body was making me hard, and I shook my head to get the thought of what I desperately wanted to do with her out of my mind. We didn't have time, even for a quickie.

"Edward! Are you listening to me? I asked you how I looked!" she stated. I finally tuned into what she was saying. I watched as Bella ran a hand over her hips and turned from side-to-side, eyes never leaving her reflection, eyebrows pulled together in contemplation. Her hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders and she had just enough makeup on to bring out her natural beauty. I walked over to her and took hold of her hips, turning her to face me.

"Bells, you're breathtaking. Now, calm down, everything will be fine!"

She huffed and put her hands on my chest. Looking up into my eyes, she said softly, "Are you sure this was a good idea, Edward? Maybe it wasn't…I mean, we know it really wouldn't be an option anyway, so why bother?"

She looked down, so I pressed my fingers under her chin and raised her face so I could look into her big brown eyes. "Bells, this is a great idea! Sammy and I will be there, waiting on you. Sure, it may not seem necessary, but it's the door that you need to close in order to move forward. Now, let's get out of here!"

I cleaned up Sammy, got her lightweight pink jacket on her, pulled her auburn ringlets out from under the collar, and got the three of us out the door.

Bella had a two o'clock meeting at Newton Publishing and she wasn't going to be late.

….

**BPOV:**

As we pulled into the parking garage at Newton Publishing, I took a few deep, calming breaths in an effort to tamp down the panic attack that threatened to arise.

I'd known that when I used _Iz Cullen_ as my pen name, it would be less likely that anyone from Newton would know it was little Bella Swan – or Isabella, as Tanya used to call me. I had used _Iz Cullen_ purposely to avoid any backlash from my basically having blackmailed Mike Newton. Blackmail was a harsh word, but it really was what happened, and I've never regretted it.

After the success of my first book, I kept a low public profile. My author profile pages never had my picture; instead, there was a photo of my book cover. I was nervous about putting my face to the name, not until I was really established as a writer. I believed that Newton wouldn't be able to touch me. As my attorney, Jasper had said he would handle any issues that came up, though he doubted they would ever cause any problems for me. However, I still felt better knowing that when I had my meeting at Newton Publishing today, I'd have the upper hand.

Jasper met all of us in the lobby. I checked in with the receptionist, a buxom redhead. She told Jazz and me that we could head on up, and somebody would be meeting us on the third floor, where the executive offices were.

I kissed Edward and Sammy goodbye and headed to the elevator.

"Bella," Jasper said, placing a hand on my shoulder as the doors to the elevator closed. The metal box jerked slightly as it moved us upward. Just his touch calmed me instantly and I was happy my brother-in-law insisted on attending this meeting with me.

"Bella, just take a few deep breaths, everything will be fine. Besides, you have to admit that when Mike sees it's you, the look on his face should be epic!" He chuckled at what I assumed was his mental image of Mike Newton's jaw hanging open and I was reminded of Emmett, begging Jasper to video the "big reveal".

"Okay, Jazz, I'll keep that in mind."

The elevator stopped and the doors slid open.

"Ms. Cullen?" A petite blonde was standing there, hand extended. I stepped off the elevator and reached out my own hand, accepting hers in mine, and smiled.

"Yes, and this is my attorney, Jasper Whitlock."

"Nice to meet you both, I'm Irina. Mr. Newton is waiting for you in the conference room, if you'll follow me please?" She released my hand and pivoted on her spiked heels, heading in the direction of the conference room.

I glanced around. Not much had changed. There was still the receptionist desk, which I assumed was Irina's, the sofa and flat-screen television. I looked over at the Human Resource Manager's office and saw that Tanya's name was still posted on the door. I shook my head in disbelief.

Irina stopped at the closed conference room door and then turned the handle, pushing the door open, she announced us to the people in the room. "Mr. Newton, this is Ms. Cullen and her attorney, Mr. Whitlock." She turned toward us and said, "This is Mr. Newton, and his associate, Mr. Yorkie."

"Please, call me Mike, and this is Eric." Just the sound of Mike Newton's voice made my skin crawl, but the double-take he did as he moved around the table to shake my hand, almost had me guffawing out loud.

I squared up my shoulders and accepted his clammy hand in mine, grasping it tightly and giving it a good shake. I would have been offended at his brief lustful leer of my body had I not been so amused as I watched how his expression went from slight recognition to total disbelief.

"Isabella Swan?" he questioned, continuing to pump my hand up and down as he looked at me, stunned. His mouth really was hanging wide open and I heard a quiet chuckle huffing out of Jasper behind me.

"Nice to see you again, Mike." My voice was calm and cool, very different from how I felt on the inside and I was silently praising myself for wearing black. I was sure my antiperspirant had quit working and black hid everything.

"You…_you're_ Iz Cullen?" Mike asked incredulously, finally letting go of my hand. I fought the urge to wipe it down on my hip but, instead, grasped the back of one of the upholstered chairs which sat around the conference table, thus effectively drying my hand at the same time I pulled out my seat.

"I am. Now, let's see what you have for me, Mike." I sat down and looked up at him, completely complacent. Jasper set his briefcase on the table and sat down next to me, trying and failing to stifle a chuckle.

…..

**EPOV:**

I had settled into one of the two high-end leather sofas in the lobby area, deep into an article about some Hollywood power couple who were breaking up, when a young girl settled herself into the sofa facing mine. I looked up from the celebrity magazine I had picked up from the end table, glancing over at my daughter. Typical for her, Sammy had made friends with the receptionist and was helping her push buttons on the phone and type messages on the computer. Another person had been won over by my daughter's charm. She looked at me and waved; I waved back and then looked at the young woman sitting across from me. She was young, blonde and quite pregnant.

She rubbed her belly as she propped her feet up on the low metal and glass coffee table that was in front of us. She wore black stretch leggings with fluorescent-colored zebra stripes and a bright pink t-shirt that was pulled so tightly across her stomach that I could see her belly button had popped. Under normal non-pregnant circumstances, it probably fitted her loosely. A bright green jacket was on the couch next to her, a shiny gold purse sitting atop it, reflecting the sunlight which shone through the windows. My fashionista little sister would say that this girl was a hot mess, and I'd have to agree.

Her eyes met mine and I gave her my teacher face – a friendly, noncommittal smile which let people know that I was a good guy, but I wasn't available and I already had enough friends. I had perfected it over the years, particularly with the hormonal teenage girls in my classes and their divorcée mothers.

"Who you waitin' on?" Day-glo Girl asked, as she smacked on some gum, which, coincidentally, was bright pink.

"My wife, she's upstairs in a meeting."

She looked at Sammy and then back at me. "She yours?"

"Yes, that's my daughter. She's three." I put the magazine to the side and stretched my arm out across the back of the sofa. Clearly, Eighties Throwback Girl wanted to talk. She would have been perfect in a _Wham!_ video. All she needed were fingerless gloves and big bangs, and not to be pregnant.

"She's cute. I'm havin' a boy. Little rugrat in here's gonna be poppin' out in four months." She patted her belly and then looked back to me. "I'm Buffy."

_Really? _

"Buffy?" I couldn't hide the surprise in my voice, as I'd never met anyone by that name and I'd come across some strange names while teaching. The girl just looked at me and smiled.

"Like the vampire slayer in that TV show, ya know?" She grinned, clearly proud that she shared her name with a blonde who staked vampires for a living. Buffy looked to be in her early twenties and was probably Sammy's age when the show had originally aired. She tossed her bleach blonde hair over her shoulder as she crossed her outstretched legs at the ankles.

"So, are you meeting your…husband here?" I didn't see a ring but took a chance anyway.

She let out a giggle, smacking her gum and patting her belly as she spoke. "Here to see my baby-daddy. It's a s'prise."

"Oh, so you're surprising him with lunch or something?"

She looked at me as if I was an idiot and laughed again. Clearly, I was missing something.

"It's somethin' all right. He don't even know I'm here. I drove up from Vegas. Mikey hasn't been taking my calls." She shook her head and looked just past me, her face growing serious. "I figured if _he_ wouldn't come to me…"

As her voice trailed off, I put the pieces together fairly quickly. She was one of Mike Newton's hook-ups from one of his many trips to Vegas. Bells told me that he had regularly tried talking her into going there with him. Thank everything that was holy she'd had the good sense to decline each and every time.

I was about to ask her when exactly she was due when the front door to the building opened and heels clacked on the tile floor. A steely voice spoke to the receptionist. "Liza, exactly _what _do you think you're doing? Don't you have work to do instead of playing around at your desk?"

I looked toward the woman. She had frizzy blonde hair and was wearing a heather grey suit and very high heels. She stood at the receptionist's counter and drummed her long, red-painted nails on it, making a loud tapping noise.

"Well, aint she just a bitch?" Buffy whispered and I had to stifle a laugh.

I stood up to get Sammy, as I didn't want her getting Liza into trouble; she'd been so kind to entertain her in the first place.

"I'm sorry, she's mine. Samantha never meets a stranger she doesn't make friends with and I'm afraid she just loves playing behind a desk. It comes from spending too much time with me at work." I laid on the charm, hoping it would keep Liza from any additional reprimands.

The woman turned toward me, her eyes sweeping down my body to my feet and back up again - lingering a little too long on my groin area - and then stopping to stare straight into my eyes.

"Mmmm…no problem." Her voice, which had been cold only moments ago, now dripped from her mouth like honey. I involuntarily shuddered and leaned back a little bit away from her. She held a hand out to me and said, "I'm Tanya, I work here. And, you are?"

_Of course! Tanya, the HR bitch from hell! _

I took her hand and shook it quickly before letting it go. "I'm Edward, and this is my daughter, Sammy." Sammy had come to stand next to me. Tanya turned her eyes down toward my daughter and smiled at her.

"Well, hellooo, Sammy!" Tanya reached her hand out to her and my normally-friendly daughter turned into my leg, hiding her face and fisting my jeans.

"Uh." Tanya huffed as she looked back at me.

"Usually, children love me."

Her unnatural grin told me she was lying. She looked over my shoulder at Buffy. "Is she your…wife?"

"Um, no, no she isn't."

"Really?" she questioned, taking a step toward me. I suddenly felt as if I was being hunted and wanted to flee from her. I tried stepping back but, with Sammy clutched to my leg, it was nearly impossible to move.

"A handsome man like you…not married? All alone and raising a child?" She reached out, running a finger down my chest.

I decided I'd had enough. I reached up and grabbed her hand not wanting her to touch me a second longer. Her lustful expression had me fighting the urge to puke.

"I never said that I wasn't married. I just said that the woman over there wasn't my wife. I am, in fact, happily married to someone you already know."

"Really?" Tanya pulled her hand from mine. "Who is she?"

The elevator doors chimed then and a grin slid across my face, knowing the shit was going to hit the fan.

"Edward?"

…..

**BPOV:**

Stepping off the elevator and seeing Tanya face-to-face with my husband was somewhat disturbing.

Stepping up to my husband as he tucked me into his outstretched arm and watching the look of anger and disgust cross Tanya's face was priceless.

"Bella? What are _you_ doing here?" Tanya asked, hate and loathing dripping from her tongue.

I smiled widely at her. "I just had a meeting with Mike and his partner about my book."

"_Your_ book? I thought his meeting was with Iz Cullen today. I didn't see your name on Mike's appointment calendar."

"I _am_ Iz Cullen, Tanya. This is my husband, Edward Cullen. And, this is our friend and attorney, Jasper Whitlock."

Tanya stepped back and smacked into the reception counter. Her face was beet red with anger. She'd been lusting after my fuck-hot husband and I had gone and ruined it for her…just as she'd accused me of with Mike all those years ago. The humor of the situation didn't get by me, but I was successful in fighting the urge to laugh in her face.

"Well, I, uuumm, hope the meeting went well. Will you be signing with us?" A look of dread crossed her face. I knew she was praying she wouldn't have to deal with me – little did she know I'd never wanted to deal with them in the first place.

I felt Sammy at my side, her little hand slipping into mine as her head leaned against my leg. I was flanked by the two most important people in my life and I'd never felt stronger or more self-assured than I did at that moment.

"Actually, Tanya, I told Mike that he could take his offer and shove it! I wouldn't work with your company if you were the last publishing house left! I have to admit that it was fun watching him cringe as I rejected his offer – and it was a great offer, too. But, I don't need Newton Publishing to fulfill my dreams, they've already _been_ fulfilled. Getting published is just the icing on the cake."

I turned to Edward, smiling. "You ready, handsome?"

He smiled down at me in response and kissed my nose. "Sure am, love. Let's get out of here!"

"Unk Jazz, pick me up!" Sammy said, as she turned from me, raising her arms up to her uncle.

"Sure thing, sweet pea!" he said with a smile, passing his briefcase off to Edward so he could lift Sammy into his arms.

As we turned to leave, Edward stopped and turned back to Tanya, who was frozen in her spot at the counter, mouth hanging open. "By the way, Tanya, you might want to let Mike know he has a visitor." Edward tilted his head toward the woman sitting in the lobby area. "And, let him know that she has the best family law attorney working for her, so he needs to stop running from his responsibilities or that young lady over there is going to own half of Newton Publishing."

Edward turned back to Jasper and asked him for one of his business cards. Jazz shifted Sammy in his arms so he could get the small leather card holder from his pocket and handed it to Edward. Edward then went over to the pregnant girl in the lobby and handed one of the cards to her. He quietly said a few words to her, pointing to Jasper and myself, and then shook her hand and said goodbye. Walking back over to us, he glanced at Tanya who, by this time, had gone from bright red to pale white.

"Remember, now, don't forget to tell Mike he has someone here waiting for him."

And, with that, we walked out of Newton Publishing, hand-in-hand, and into the afternoon sun.

Our beautiful future was awaiting.

* * *

**Thanks again for reading and reviewing. Sorry if I haven't responded to your reviews. I try to hit most of them, but I get a little lost in it all and well... anyway. I do appreciate it more than you know. I finally hit 500 (yay me)... LOL**

**Planning more stories, just have to work them out. In the mean time, I am submitting a O/S to the Twi Fic Text Message LOL Contest on FF... very excited. It's my first contest and it was a hoot to write. Popular voting runs from May 7 thru May 21.**

**So, thanks again to my beta baby and to theonlykyla and SparklingWand for all of your love and support.  
And to my BFF who quietly reads my stuff and tells me I'm great. Cause she's the best bestie in the world.**

**xoxo  
M**


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